BHSH, the new merger of Beaumont Health and Spectrum Health, is partnering with Grand Valley State University to create a nursing program to tackle the shortage in Michigan and provide a path to employment at affiliated hospitals.
The BHSH Spectrum Health West Michigan Nurse Scholar program has a goal of increasing the nursing talent pipeline by taking away financial barriers to college. After all approvals and accreditation, the program should be in place by January.
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“We challenged ourselves to be bold: What can we do, together with GVSU, to permanently increase access to education, strengthen nursing education programs and invest in talented, compassionate people who want to become nurses?” Tina Freese Decker, president and CEO of BHSH, said in a news release. “Our teams delivered a joint, innovative proposal that expands opportunities for up to 500 future nurses and can be the model for others to emulate.”
The health system is investing more than $19 million to provide infrastructure, startup costs and resources for increased clinical placements, training and other support for students in the program. This includes grant dollars for all BHSH Spectrum Health West Michigan Nurse Scholars. Grand Valley, based in Allendale with a campus in downtown Grand Rapids, will increase infrastructure support for students in the areas of financial aid, curriculum enhancements, technology and equipment, student support services, simulation enhancements and clinical experiences.
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The partnership will create an opportunity for nearly 500 additional students to pursue a career in nursing over the next six years. The university will assume all future infrastructure costs and maintain a permanent increase in the number of students admitted to its Kirkhof College of Nursing.
A federal workforce analysis shows Michigan has a nursing shortage for its population. That shortage has been exacerbated as nurses burned out during the COVID-19 pandemic leave their jobs or cut hours worked.
According to Grand Valley, more than 92 percent of all graduates within the health professions stay in Michigan.
“These talent gaps hold us back or put us at risk,” Grand Valley President Philomena V. Mantella said in the release. “We have many dedicated and talented students who want to pursue nursing, but we needed the creativity and support of our partners at BHSH System to make the expansion of nursing possible and affordable for more talented and diverse students.”
This story first appeared in our sister publication, Crain’s Detroit Business.
