Strengthening the workforce

Senior year is often stressful for students as they compete for jobs or coveted spots in post-graduate education programs.

Those pressures have been lifted for four University of Delaware senior nursing majors. They've been accepted into the UD's new School of Nursing/Bayhealth Student Scholars program.

"I feel so much relief," said Lora Cox.

As part of the program, Cox and three of her classmates, all Delaware natives, will be guaranteed a job at Bayhealth Hospital, Kent Campus. In exchange, the students will receive a generous stipend and work at Bayhealth for two years. Cox, of Clayton, lives just 30 minutes from the hospital where she'll work.

"It's the perfect opportunity for me, and I'm so grateful," said Cox, a first-generation college student. "Many nursing students already have hospital experience by working as a tech. I've been a server throughout college to pay my bills, so I didn't have those same opportunities."

A workforce shortage

The demand for nurses has risen significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic. As the population ages, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts more than 194,000 average annual openings for registered nurses through 2030, according to the American Nurses Association. The ongoing shortage forced UD's School of Nursing to get creative.

"We can't solve it alone," said Elizabeth Speakman, senior associate dean of the SON. "So, we turned to our clinical partners, and together, with Bayhealth, we created the UD/Bayhealth Student Scholars program as an opportunity to grow the workforce in Delaware."

Speakman worked closely with Rosemary Wurster, senior vice president of patient care services and chief nurse executive at Bayhealth, to create the program.

Four UD nursing seniors are part of the first cohort of scholars assigned to Bayhealth's medical-surgical (med-surg) unit. Next year, the SON aims to have eight scholars. All will spend their senior year clinicals at Bayhealth before committing to work at the hospital for two years.

"Completing their clinicals at Bayhealth will help these nursing students acclimate before they start their residency as a registered nurse; they know the institution and their coworkers, and they'll be better prepared to hit the workforce, stay in the workforce, and hopefully make a life of nursing in Delaware," Speakman said.

Speakman hopes the program serves as a model.

"Academic and clinical partners in the state and region can replicate this model to help ease the nursing shortage," said Speakman.

Bayhealth is excited to welcome these four UD nurses to the hospital.

"At Bayhealth, we are committed to supporting the next generation of healthcare professionals. The UD/Bayhealth Student Scholars program is a testament to the power of partnership and innovation. We are proud to invest in these talented nursing students and look forward to welcoming them to our team, where they will make a meaningful impact on patient care and the health of our community for years to come," said Bayhealth President and CEO Terry Murphy, who also serves as vice chair of UD's Board of Trustees.

UD College of Health Sciences Dean Bill Farquhar said this innovative collaboration creates a much-needed workforce pipeline in the state.

"We need more healthcare professionals in the state, especially in Kent and Sussex counties, where the population continues to grow," said Farquhar. "At CHS, we're committed to ensuring School of Nursing graduates stay in the state and work at Bayhealth and other hospitals in Delaware to ease the nursing shortage in the First State."