The program will serve as a pipeline that gives students the opportunity to be paid for their required clinical hours and is a pathway toward employment with Mercy Health.
Mercy College of Ohio has announced its Early Career Decision program that comes on the heels of many other projects and programs to attract interest in joining the healthcare field. The Early Career Decision program will make it easy for students to transition from student to employee at Mercy Health.
According to an article on Mercy College of Ohio’s website, Jamie Tooman, who is the BSN Program Director at Mercy College of Ohio, said of the new collaborative program, We are excited to pioneer this program, providing our nursing students with a unique opportunity to receive compensation for clinical hours completed during their final semester. It's a win-win situation for both students and Mercy Health. The students will have the same excellent learning opportunities that they have always had, but will also be paid as part of this experience. The plan for the future is to expand the number of students and Mercy Health hospitals participating in this program.”
As part of the program, Mercy College of Ohio’s Nursing program students will have the opportunity to apply to earn money for their already required clinical experience hours. Students who are selected to receive this compensation will work part-time with Mercy Health, earning both their required clinical hours and money for their work. Once these students finish the Nursing program and pass the NCLEX, they will settle into nursing jobs at Mercy Health, to which they commit for at least 18 months post graduation.
Jean Davila, who is the Vice President of Nursing and the COO of Mercy Health - St. Charles Hospital, is quoted as saying of the program, "This program allows us to identify and nurture talented individuals from their final semester, fostering a strong connection with our hospital. We believe it's a transformative approach to both education and workforce development."
Mercy Health will benefit from the arrangement as it will have direct access to up and coming nursing graduates and will have part time help while those students are completing their clinical hour requirements.
Ky Knoch is one of seven students who were selected to take part in the program upon its launch this month. He said of the opportunity, “I was thrilled to be selected for this! It's still going to be a busy semester, but being paid for the clinical time will lighten my load and enable me to prepare for a seamless transition to the work environment after graduation.”
For more information about Mercy College of Ohio, visit its website.