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Sentara Obici Hospital partners with community college to train nurses
Earn to Learn pays students while they receive hands-on education
Whether it’s in an emergency department, maternity unit, or ICU, hands-on training is imperative for all students pursuing careers in the medical field. Sentara Obici Hospital is providing that training in the Earn to Learn program through Paul D. Camp Community College.
Through a grant from the Virginia Department of Health, nursing students participating in the program are paid while completing their clinical rotations. The pay is comparable to that of a nursing assistant. The new collaboration is an effort to recruit more people into the field and fill nursing workforce vacancies throughout the state.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. healthcare industry will experience about 1.9 million new job openings per year over the next decade. However, there is a projected healthcare worker shortage in the , and registered nurses are among the most needed occupations.
"The nursing shortage is only going to get bigger because the nursing population is retiring or moving into different careers,” said Angela Sheaffer, dean of nursing and allied health at Paul D. Camp Community College in Franklin, Va. “We are trying to cushion or minimize the shortage, and we are beginning to make strides towards change.”
Paul D. Camp Community College was awarded the grant in September and Earn to Learn (ETL) clinicals began in October with 19 students. Sentara Obici Hospital is the sole clinical site for the grant and allows the students to learn in a real-life setting while receiving paychecks.
“The ETL has definitely helped out a lot,” said Miranda McCabe, a nursing student at Paul D. Camp Community College. “Everyone going through school usually has some kind of financial hardship. So, it is really nice when you’re trying to become a nurse and we can get a little help. That takes some of the stress off of us.”
Initiatives like this began after the COVID-19 pandemic to address the lack of licensed healthcare applicants. This year, the Virginia General Assembly directed the Virginia Department of Health to establish the Earn to Learn program. The first grantees are funded through December of 2025. A request for proposals for the next group will be released in the spring.
Through a grant from the Virginia Department of Health, nursing students participating in the program are paid while completing their clinical rotations. The pay is comparable to that of a nursing assistant. The new collaboration is an effort to recruit more people into the field and fill nursing workforce vacancies throughout the state.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. healthcare industry will experience about 1.9 million new job openings per year over the next decade. However, there is a projected healthcare worker shortage in the , and registered nurses are among the most needed occupations.
"The nursing shortage is only going to get bigger because the nursing population is retiring or moving into different careers,” said Angela Sheaffer, dean of nursing and allied health at Paul D. Camp Community College in Franklin, Va. “We are trying to cushion or minimize the shortage, and we are beginning to make strides towards change.”
Paul D. Camp Community College was awarded the grant in September and Earn to Learn (ETL) clinicals began in October with 19 students. Sentara Obici Hospital is the sole clinical site for the grant and allows the students to learn in a real-life setting while receiving paychecks.
“The ETL has definitely helped out a lot,” said Miranda McCabe, a nursing student at Paul D. Camp Community College. “Everyone going through school usually has some kind of financial hardship. So, it is really nice when you’re trying to become a nurse and we can get a little help. That takes some of the stress off of us.”
Initiatives like this began after the COVID-19 pandemic to address the lack of licensed healthcare applicants. This year, the Virginia General Assembly directed the Virginia Department of Health to establish the Earn to Learn program. The first grantees are funded through December of 2025. A request for proposals for the next group will be released in the spring.
By: Jen Lewis