Nursing apprenticeship is big deal for NWSCC
The recent announcement that Northwest Shoals Community College has launched a paid nursing apprenticeship is a major development which should boost interest in an already successful program at the Phil Campbell campus.
The program allows nursing students to complete their clinical training in a health care setting while earning hourly pay. Those training hours count toward degree requirements, giving students the chance to take what they are learning in the classroom and apply it to real-life patient care situations.
Brittney Humphres, assistant dean of Health Sciences at NWSCC, said the college built the apprenticeship to close the gap between education and employment for nursing students “We wanted to help our students transition to the workforce easier, so the apprenticeship allows that to happen,” Humphres said. “They work at their place of employment, and then they get paid … and it also counts for their clinical time.”
Decatur Morgan Hospital is the first hospital to partner with the college. For Decatur Morgan, the apprenticeship is viewed as a long-term workforce strategy, hoping to get post-graduate employment commitments from apprentices.
Alex Presnell, nursing education and professional development manager at Decatur Morgan, said the partnership grew out of the college’s reputation and interest from a current employee.
“For one thing, Northwest Shoals has a good reputation for producing highly qualified nursing students,” Presnell said. “We also had an employee that was interested in the apprentice program that kind of actually put things into motion.”
The hospital will pair apprentices one on one with a mentor. During their training hours, apprentices will work sideby- side with nurses.
“They can start learning their basics of head-totoe assessment, medication administration,” Presnell said.
NWSCC’s Humphres is optimistic other hospitals and medical facilities will want to get involved in the apprenticeship program. And they’ll find the college is more than ready to accommodate their needs as the college will base future participation on employers.
“This is the beginning of a permanent option based on employer need,” she said.
It will also provide students with a formal introduction into how employee selection is handled by companies in the real world. Interested employers will notify NWSCC and the college will distribute job applications to students. The employers will then conduct their own interviews. If a student is selected, NWSCC will complete the approval process for the student and the employer.
Shea Thomas, director of Nursing Education at NWSCC, said the program changes how students experience clinical training by placing them one on one with a mentor. She said the program still requires apprentices to validate the same skills as other nursing students, but the setting allows for a more consistent hands-on experience.
Instructors will evaluate student performance using the same clinical tools and guidelines used in the traditional program.
We applaud Northwest Shoals Community College for initiating this apprenticeship program for its nursing students. We’re sure it will become an invaluable recruiting tool for the college as well as an important component of the training students receive.
And kudos go to Decatur Morgan for being the first hospital in the region to partner with NWSCC. Presnell said apprentices will graduate from the nursing program at Phil Campbell with far more time in a hospital setting than traditional students.
It’s a great example of a public-private partnership that benefits all three sides – the students, the college and the hospital.
