Nursing Colleagues Participate in New Nursing Education Program for Aspiring Nurses

Chief Nursing Officer Shawna Edwards, MSN, RN (left) joins the University of Hartford Nursing Student cohort (wearing red scrubs) and Saint Mary's clinical faculty and teachers.

Saint Mary’s and Saint Francis Hospitals kick off a new initiative and partnership with the University of Hartford Nursing Program. The Dedicated Education initiative immerses nursing students into clinical experience, providing a true practical and personal approach to bedside nursing. A key goal of the program is to afford students the opportunity to gain broad clinical knowledge as a result of the hands-on exposure of every aspect of the nursing practice during the three semester Bachelor of Science Nursing matriculation period.

The new venture is also intended to provide students a continuum of nursing education allowing them to remain in one location – Saint Mary’s or Saint Francis – for three semesters. The student nurses will have consistent preceptorship with one nurse educator assuming the full assignment. This triad model – clinical faculty, clinical teachers, and students – is aimed at enhancing student’s clinical knowledge and exposure to real life practice as opposed to simulation.

This partnership is made possible through the Connecticut Health Horizon’s grant, a three-year higher education program designed to address the statewide shortage in nursing and behavioral health providers. Collaborative partners for the initiative include Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU), the Office of Workforce Strategy, the Connecticut Hospital Association, amongst others.

The first cohort of the program began this fall semester.