Southeast Georgia Health System has committed to a $2M Expansion Partnership
with the College of Coastal Georgia (CCGA) to increase the number of registered
nurses in the community through a five year process.
“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, RN, MSN, chair, Southeast Georgia Health System, Inc.
“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,” added
Scott Raynes, MBA, MA, president and CEO, Southeast Georgia Health System. “This partnership
will enhance the College of Coastal Georgia’s ability to enroll
more students. Today the upper limit that can be enrolled is 260 students.
This partnership will help add faculty and increase the enrollment number
to 340 students.”
Increasing the number of faculty members will also allow for a spring cohort
to be added to the Associate of Science in Nursing program. Currently,
the nursing program graduates students one time per year in May; the addition
of a spring cohort will yield December graduates, allowing two annual
entry points in the program for students and also allowing the Health
System to have residency programs twice per year to onboard new graduates
choosing to join the Health System after graduation.
“I can’t think of a better win-win-win partnership for our
community at this particular time,” said College of Coastal Georgia
president Michelle Johnston. “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.”
One of the many challenges of getting nurses dispatched to the frontlines
is how long the education process takes. Nursing students at CCGA historically
do not attend classes during the summer semester, adding additional time
between entry to the nursing program and graduation. For students interested
in joining the workforce several months sooner, CCGA will offer an accelerated
registered nursing program which requires students to attend four consecutive
semesters to graduate the cohort one full semester ahead of students in
the traditional program.
While growing the program is a top priority, fruits of this partnership
extend far into student success. CCGA will establish a Student Success
Counselor position that is dedicated to tutoring, coaching and providing
supplemental instruction for the nursing students. Johnston explained,
“Our nursing programs are challenging and our standards are high.
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 graduation.”
Providing this support will help students be more successful throughout
their academic journey as well as equip them to meet their career goals
after graduation.
Incoming University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue added, “Stepping
into this role, I’m grateful for the leadership of the College of
Coastal Georgia 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.”
“We are excited to be partnering with the College of Coastal Georgia,
not solely for the advancement of our own organizations, but primarily
for the opportunity to come together and revolutionize the means through
which we serve our communities,” said Raynes. “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.”