Aiming to better meet a critical nursing shortage in Louisiana, Chamberlain University, the largest nursing school in the country, is teaming up with LCMC Health to offer a tuition-free nursing program.
The "Called-to-Care Scholars Program" is open to applicants nationwide, but will address health care workforce shortages in New Orleans and Jefferson Parish, where LCMC Health has six hospitals, officials announced this week. Based in Chicago, Chamberlain has a campus in Jefferson.
LCMC Health will fund all of the tuition costs for up to 90 students per year seeking a Bachelor of Science in nursing. In exchange, students will work for the hospital system for up to three years after graduation, officials said.
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The students will be split across three sessions in September 2021, May 2022 and July 2022.
The U.S. faces a projected shortage of half a million nurses by 2030, according to a study by the American Journal of Medical Quality. Hospital systems have said the pandemic has only increased burnout as health care systems face critical staffing challenges.
In Louisiana, the aim is to build a sustainable talent pipeline that can help fill critical job openings, according to Greg Feirn, CEO of LCMC Health.
Feirn also said it was important to train compassionate nurses who can align with priorities outlined by the National Academy of Medicine, which calls for achieving more health equity by 2030.
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Research shows problems like poverty, unemployment, inadequate housing, lack of public transportation and neighborhood deterioration can all lead to poor health, and organizations have been trying to figure out ways to break barriers to accessing care.
"This is truly an investment in people, as our nurses are often the magic ingredient in providing health care with heart," Feirn said. "Their dedication and compassion represent that one-of-kind care that comes from one-of-a-kind people."
Ochsner Health, an LCMC competitor, is also trying to address shortages of nurses and other health care providers. In the past year the organization has announced new programs with Delgado Community College and Loyola University New Orleans.
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Karen Cox, the president of Chamberlain University, said the university wants to form more partnerships with hospital systems and aspiring nurses across the U.S.
"We are excited to launch this program and continue to leverage the scale and breadth of our footprint," she said.
