Mercy - Tiffin to offer local clinicals for nursing students

A new program at Mercy College of Ohio starting in January will make it easier for rural people to get an education in nursing, and hospital administrators hope it will alleviate a nursing shortage. The initiative is part of Mercy College's work toward meeting rising demands for registered nurses while breaking down barriers for those entering the profession. In the new program, students will be able to take classes online instead of at the Toledo campus and complete the clinical portions of their education at Tiffin and Willard hospitals when they enroll in Mercy College's Accelerated Bachelor of Science Nursing Program. The ABSN is described as "a rigorous, 15-month program that prepares individuals for nursing careers" in four semesters. The program is designed to reduce the financial burden and allow students to gain practical experience within a hospital while still in school. Nursing students who choose to work for Mercy Health while pursuing their studies at Mercy College will be eligible for up to 100% tuition reimbursement. "That's definitely an advantage our students have," said Denise Hudgin, director of communications for Mercy College. "They have to be working for the health system." The jobs students do change as they progress in their studies. "As they go through the program, they are able to do more," Hudgin said. Graduates of the program are required to work in the Mercy Health system for 18 months after graduation. "What excites me about this type of program is that it'll help keep incredible students here in the community," said Andrew Morgan, president of Mercy Health - Tiffin and Willard. He said one of the challenges of being a small hospital is having fewer resources available. If a nurse leaves a job, there might be 50 other nurses on a shift at a larger hospital while only eight are at a small hospital. "There's a bigger impact," he said. Morgan said there are three main reasons for the shortage of floor nurses. First, many people are retiring after full nursing careers. Another reason is the flexibility of a nursing degree. "One of the great things about nursing is that there are so many places to take that nursing degree," he said. Nurses often have jobs where they do something other than being a floor nurse. "In some cases, that impacts the local community hospital because there are other roles nurses can take on," he said. For example, some IT jobs require medical training and jobs at call centers or a variety of nursing specialties. In recent years, he said nurses have chosen to enter the field of travel nursing, where they contract with a hospital to work for a specific number of weeks or months and then move on to the next job. Morgan said none of those reasons are unique to rural areas, but rural hospitals often feel more impact than larger hospitals. He said it's important for the Mercy system to have a strong relationship with educators. "We're creating a pipeline so our incredible team of nurses is able to stay with us," he said. Although administrators aren't seeking a target number of students for the new program, they said they would like to see "as many as we can get." "What excites me about this particular program is that education is such an incredible part of the student's life," Morgan said. Students have great experiences, and if they're already working in a medical environment, they're getting hands-on training they'll carry with them all their lives, he said. In this case, the program is designed for students who want to remain in rural areas. Hudgin said the program seeks to remove barriers those people might find to getting a nursing degree. "There is a nursing shortage everywhere, but it can be especially evident in rural areas," Hudgin said. "We want to prepare as many nurses as possible. We have different programs that are the right fit for different people. This is one more pathway we can offer them." One barrier for people in rural areas has been the requirement to complete their clinicals in Toledo. "We're really hoping removing the barrier will help open nursing education to more people," she said. When students work at a hospital while taking classes, she said they have a hands-on connection with the hospital and its people. "They've already had experience with patients so it's more meaningful to them when they hear it in the classroom," she said. "Experience as an employee while they're in school only enriches them as a graduate." "The addition of the Tiffin clinical sites combined with offering fully online lecture content allows students to engage in coursework in the comfort of their own learning space and is convenient for students residing southeast of Toledo to complete their clinical learning close to home," said Dr. Gail Lis, dean of the Division of Nursing, in a news release announcing the program. "The clinical experiences are structured around concentrated blocks of time and allow for an increased flexible schedule." "I would encourage people to reach out even if it's been a while since they've been in school," Hudgin said. Anyone interested in the program should contact Mercy College through its website, https://mercycollege.edu/contact, or call 419-251-1313.