Health system, college partnership to expand nursing program

By Lauren McDonald lmcdonald@thebrunswicknews.com 

College of Coastal Georgia and Southeast Georgia Health System announced Friday a partnership to expand the college’s registered nursing program and address hospital staffing shortages.

The health system has committed to a $2 million expansion partnership with the college meant to increase the number of local registered nurses through a five-year process.

“With a nursing shortage flooding our nation, including here in our own community, it is imperative to make nursing programs a priority and more readily available to eligible students,” said Scott Raynes, president and CEO of the health system, in a statement. “This partnership will enhance the College of Coastal Georgia’s ability to enroll more students.”

The current maximum enrollment in the nursing program is 260 students, Raynes said. The partnership will support faculty additions and increase maximum enrollment to 340 students.

“The success of this partnership will reap benefits for each organization individually, but more importantly, patients and students will see immediate advantages through an improved patient care experience and more options as a student aspiring to become a nurse,” said Kay Hampton, chair of the Southeast Georgia Health System, Inc.

The expansion will allow for the creation of a spring cohort in the associate of science in nursing.

The college will begin to offer an accelerated registered nursing program that will require students to attend four consecutive semesters, including over the summer for the first time. That cohort will then graduate one full semester ahead of students in the traditional program.

“I can’t think of a better win-win-win partnership for our community at this particular time,” said Michelle Johnston, president of the college. “We are proud to be establishing a model that has the potential of accelerating progress in the near term and for the future with regard to the healthcare workforce.”

Sonny Perdue, incoming chancellor of the University System of Georgia, visited CCGA’s campus Friday and toured the nursing building.

According to a presentation provided during his visit, only 57% of the registered nurses in Georgia are working in the field. Vacancies in nursing positions have significantly increased over the past decade, including in Southeast Georgia.

“We’re trying to address the shortage,” said Lydia Watkins, dean of the School of Nursing and Health Science at CCGA. “With nursing programs, you can only have a certain amount of students per faculty, and there’s different regulations. So by providing more faculty positions, that gives you the opportunity to accept more students.”

One added position will be a student success counselor, she said. The focus will be supporting retention by helping students address academic challenges.

“This is going to allow us to offer different tracks, so we’re going to be starting a spring cohort, a fast track and some options we haven’t been able to do because of faculty numbers,” Watkins said.

These new options will mean the nursing program will have winter graduates as well rather than just in the spring. This change will address hiring needs at the hospital.

Watkins said the health system needs December grads.

This spring the college is set to have 130 nursing graduates. The program has seen a 33% retention increase over the past five years due to other strategies implemented by faculty.

This new partnership will increase retention further, Watkins said.

The nursing program consistently earns the top spot in national rankings for having 100% pass rates on the national exam. The program was also featured in 2021 in Newsweek as one of the top U.S. nursing programs.

“We get the national accolades, and it all gears back to the faculty and their cohesion in the way they teach, trying to increase that clinical judgment and using the simulation and our lab equipment to help address that higher level learning,” Watkins said.

The student success counselor position will be dedicated to tutoring, coaching and providing supplemental instruction for nursing students.

“Our nursing programs are challenging, and our standards are high,” Johnston said. “That’s why we’ve been recognized as one of the top programs in the country. The student success counselor will be key to maintaining academic excellence while supporting progress toward graduating.”

In a statement released by the health system, Perdue said he’s grateful for the leadership of the college and SGHS for setting a standard and a model within the state.

“This partnership is an excellent example of the university system’s strategic goals of community impact and economic competitiveness,” he said.

Raynes added that this partnership will advance both the college and health system and will revolutionize the means through which the community is served.

“This partnership is the first step in the health system’s long-range planning to assist in addressing the medical professional workforce challenges in our community,” he said.

Republished with the permission of The Brunswick News. Originally published in The Brunswick News.