Visionary nursing leaders in the education field at Barry University as well as practicing nurses at Baptist Health Systems are taking proactive steps to ensure the future of the career.
Due to local, national and international nursing shortages, patients, both present and future, are facing challenges in their care and recovery. To secure an adequate nursing workforce for the future, Barrys Division of Nursing has teamed up with Baptist to start a new off-site, entry-level, bond nursing program option – this fall.
Acceptance to the new off-site program option requires admission to Barrys Division of Nursing followed by an interview with Baptist. This fall, the first cohort of 30 students started the five semester program. These students are scheduled to graduate in the spring of 2010. They will also be eligible to sit the National Certification License Exam to become a registered nurse (NCLEX-RN) in June of that same year.
All nursing classes are held at Baptist. This new bond program option is run at the same standard and rigor as the main campus nursing programs and all students participating have access to all resources at Barrys main campus.
Aside from the provision of classroom, lab and other resources, Baptist Health Systems also hired three faculty members dedicated to teach in this new program option, who meet the qualifications and have access to the Universitys resources as faculty at the main campus enjoy. Both Division of Nursing and Baptist administrative teams meet regularly to discuss programmatic issues and clarify standards, policies and processes.
Baptist Healthcare System pays half of the students tuition in return for a three-year commitment to work within their hospitals and other out-patient and community facilities. During the program, the students work eight hours a week at a rate of $12 – $14 an hour as well as complete the majority of the programs required clinical hours.
Many studies have linked a nurses educational level to the quality patients receive. As a result, the nursing profession is called to increase the pool of nurses with Bachelor of Science degrees.
However, nursing programs are turning students away thanks to a myriad of reasons including a shortage of qualified nursing faculty, classroom and clinical space. This partnership with Baptist Health System will help Barrys Division of Nursing to increase its annual entry-level nursing program enrollment and thus, produce more BSN graduates. Baptist Healthcare Systems will obtain a fast and steady flow of committed and prepared nurses who will improve the quality of care received by patients and enhance positive outcomes. They will also gain financially thanks to the decrease in orientation time needed for new graduates who will already be familiar with the system and the inter professional team. This familiarity may also lessen the stress faced by new graduates helping to increasing job satisfaction and decreasing attrition rate.
Working together is not a new thing – over the past several years, Barrys Division of Nursing has partnered with Baptist Health Systems regarding off-site Registered nurse, Bachelor of Science and Master of Science programs. However, this new bond program option has great possibilities to impact the present and future nursing shortage in a positive way. Although in its inception, the success of this new off-site program looks promising and provides a win-win situation for all. Plans are already underway for the second cohort of bonded, entry-level students to begin next fall.
Visionary nursing leaders in the education field at Barry University as well as practicing nurses at Baptist Health Systems are taking proactive steps to ensure the future of the career. 
