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Healthcare facilities throughout the country have reported tremendous shortages of qualified nursing staff, and hospitals everywhere are attempting to attract and retain good nurses. So it’s not surprising that last summer Dr. Linda Tenofsky in the Nursing Division at Curry College was contacted by a representative from Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Lorraine Canty, to help meet this challenge.

Ms. Canty already had a Curry connection as a student in the Master of Education program and was very pleased with her experience. She had heard about the RN to BS program at Curry, and along with Arthur Bowes, Vice President of Human Resources at Spaulding, was interested in offering registered nurses an option to complete their BS degree without leaving the hospital walls. Of course, Canty and Bowes understood that for adults who worked full-time, convenience and access were most important. They hoped they could work collaboratively with a college to offer a program at their hospital site.

The Division of Continuing and Graduate Studies at Curry College immediately responded. Acting Dean Dr. Gerri Luke, Dr. Linda Tenofsky, Dr. Linda Caldwell and Associate Professor Maryann Corcoran developed a delivery model for the RN to BS Program that would allow RNs at Spaulding to complete their nursing requirements within two years. Though other colleges presented proposals at the same time, Spaulding decided to partner with Curry College.

“We looked at two other colleges including Curry College,” said Arthur Bowes. “There was broad representation in the review process. The nurses who were interested in pursuing a BS were included and they gave very positive feedback about Curry’s presentation. Curry College listened, understood the needs of adult learners and professionals, and responded to meet those needs.”

The response to the first information session was remarkable. Within the first thirty minutes, the program was overbooked. “We knew we had nurses interested in this opportunity, but never expected so many students to enroll in the first offering,” stated Mr. Bowes. So Curry scheduled another faculty member in order to offer a second section of the class. Since the partnership with Spaulding, a member of the Partners HealthCare, allows nurses from other hospitals in the network to join the program, nurses from affiliates also eagerly enrolled.

Designed as a cohort model, students participate in the program beginning to end with the same group, attending class one-night a week year round. With a maximum enrollment of 25 students in a cohort, faculty get to interact closely with all students and the knowledge they gain in the classroom can be used immediately in their workplace.

Associate Professor Mary Ann Corcoran, MS, RNC, is Coordinator of the Curry College RN program who has met with all of the students to develop their educational plans. According to Corcoran, the feedback from the initial groups has been extremely positive. “They are very enthusiastic about being able to attend a program on-site because it takes a barrier away – they can still work, have a family and outside activities and not be overwhelmed.”

Not only are students pleased with the program, the cohort model has also affected their internal culture at the hospital. Many of students did not even know each other prior to enrolling in the program. Working together in class has allowed students to familiarize themselves with other employees who work on different shifts, in different departments, and on different floors within the hospital.

“Our students have met people that they work with at the same institution that they didn’t know before the Curry program. Overnight shift employees are able to develop relationships with employees on day and evening shifts. There is an enhanced camaraderie among hospital staff,” said Ms. Corcoran.

She reports that the new partnership is thriving. “One of the reasons the partnership is doing so well is that the initiative is supported by two major groups at the hospital, both the Nursing and Human Resources departments. It’s a very successful model.”

Arthur Bowes agrees. "This program has exceeded our expectations. Spaulding has a commitment to helping our employees get the training and education they need to succeed. This partnership with Curry is an ideal way to nurture our employees' dreams and to help the hospital retain great workers."