Fairfield University, Gateway Community College, Quinnipiac University, and Southern Connecticut State University have joined Yale New Haven Health System (YNHHS) in a new partnership to combat the nursing shortage and allow universities to accept more students into nursing programs.
Yale New Haven Health System
The partnership with YNHHS will address these issues by recruiting more qualified nursing student candidates and subsequently helping candidates with employment.
This partnership promises to graduate at least 557 additional nurses over the course of the next four years, in addition to those already enrolled. YNHHS will also provide clinical experiences and scholarships to students enrolled in Fairfield’s Accelerated Second Degree Nursing Program.
“Fairfield’s Egan School could not be prouder and more excited to join Yale in this important partnership,” said Dean Meredith Wallace Kazer, PhD, APRN. “Within this initiative, we will ensure high-quality healthcare for the patients and families we are honored to serve.”
Despite the pandemic, universities including Fairfield Egan are experiencing an increased number of qualified students applying to nursing programs. “We weren’t sure how the pandemic would impact interest in the nursing profession,” Dean Kazer said. “We thought it may deter people but it’s the opposite. People want to come and want to be nurses. It’s up to us to increase that educational capacity to fill the pipeline.”
Albertus Magnus College
Answering the call for workforce readiness and the high demand for nurses, Fairfield University and Albertus Magnus College have entered a unique partnership where Albertus students can apply to Fairfield’s Accelerated Second Degree Nursing (ASDNU) program.
“This opportunity provides a practical, cost-effective pathway for our students who want to make a difference in today’s healthcare environment, where the need for qualified nurses is at a premium,” said vice president of academic affairs at Albertus Magnus Sean O’Connell, PhD.
“So often, we hear from students that they think they’d make a great nurse, but they don’t have an undergraduate degree in nursing. This agreement with Albertus helps fulfill the urgent need for nurses,” said Dean Kazer.
Egan’s Accelerated Second Degree Nursing (ASDNU) program provides a distinctive opportunity for those with bachelor’s degrees in fields other than nursing to pursue a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degree in an accelerated format.
The ASDNU program is designed to draw upon students’ prior education and experience, allowing them to earn a second bachelor’s degree in 15 months. Previous knowledge serves as a foundation for nursing courses, as students develop the social awareness, critical thinking skills, aesthetic sensibility, and values that will prepare them for the NCLEX licensing exam.
Learn more about the Accelerated Second Degree Nursing program at fairfield.edu/seconddegree.
