News Details
Memorial Health System Announces Student Nurse Investment Grant Program Offering up to $42,000 to Individual Nursing Students
Memorial Health System (MHS), has launched a Student Nursing Investment Grant program thanks to a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that addresses the nursing shortage and bridges the gap in access to healthcare in rural areas. The health system is working collaboratively with West Virginia University at Parkersburg (WVUP) and Washington State Community College (WSCC) to ramp up the talent pipeline and increase the pool of local talent.
Funding will help WVUP and WSCC increase the size of their Registered Nursing (RN) programs and provide residents with high-demand and high-wage jobs upon completion. Memorial Health System will provide those selected into the program a $6,000 stipend to students per semester and the stipend can be used towards anything (tuition, rent, transportation, etc.). In addition, they will provide an $18,000 sign-on bonus with a three-year commitment to work for the health system upon graduation.
Healthcare organizations throughout Ohio are experiencing workforce challenges. Since the start of 2022, employers have advertised nearly 5,000 healthcare jobs per month in the 11-county central Ohio region, according to OHIO MEANS JOBS. In addition, the Aspen Institute predicts that central Ohio will need 9,000 additional healthcare jobs – a 22 percent increase – by 2028 to meet demand from the region’s population growth and number of aging seniors.
“Memorial Health System is investing dollars to support students and ramp up the talent pipeline of nursing and other professions that form the backbone of our healthcare community,” says Scott Cantley, Memorial Health System, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Together, we will increase the pool of home-grown talent, keep regional healthcare strong, and attract a workforce prepared to care for our communities.”
“It is an exciting time to be a nursing student in the Mid-Ohio Valley as so many opportunities exist for stipends and job placements for graduating nurses,” WVUP, President Dr. Torie Jackson says. “We appreciate the partnership and the federal grant that allows for assistance to students attending community colleges to be able to start new careers in a high demand, and high salary occupation.”
MHS will be offering a great opportunity for members of our community to “learn and earn.” As discussed above, the health system has partnered with both WVUP and WSCC to increase the number of students enrolled in their respective RN programs to satisfy our growing need to fill vacant bedside positions. In addition, MHS has also partnered with Building Bridges to Careers (BB2C). BB2C will be instrumental in helping get the word out to high school students seeking RN careers and enrolling students into one of the programs.
We invite you all to join us on Thursday, July 27th at 2 p.m. for a signing event. Members of the MHS administration, WVUP, and WSCC will welcome the newest members of the Student Nursing Investment Grant program. Come see the impact this program will have on the lives of these students and the impact this program will have on our community in years to come.
“We are grateful that Memorial Health System shares in our mission to make higher education more accessible. The financial support they’ve allocated for Washington State Community College nursing students will make a meaningful and immediate impact on our students’ lives. This program strengthens our already strong partnership with Memorial Health System and provides a long-term solution to the nursing shortage that our community is facing,” says Dr. Vicky Wood, Washington State Community College, President.
“The rigor and demands placed on nursing students often make it challenging for them to successfully balance learning with the need to provide financial support for their families. The stipend offered by Memorial Health System will serve as a valuable resource that will help alleviate some of that burden so our students can focus on being successful in the classroom,” concludes Tricia Schaad, Director of Nursing for Washington State Community College.