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MILLIGAN COLLEGE, TN ( November 9, 2004) — Mountain States Health Alliance and Milligan College have announced an expanded nursing program at Milligan that will help meet critical nursing shortages in the Tri-Cities region.
The multi-year, one million dollar grant from MSHA will help underwrite program expenses for Milligan’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program, which continues to see increased enrollment from the region.
“There will be a severe nursing shortage developing over the next 15 years as the Baby Boomer generation becomes elderly and begins to consume large amounts of healthcare associated with an aging population,” said Dennis Vonderfecht, president and CEO of MSHA. “So MSHA is committed to positively impact the supply of nurses within our region.”
Melinda Collins, director of Milligan’s BSN program and chair of the Area of Nursing, explained that Milligan’s goal is to offer unfettered access to nursing education.
“The grant from MSHA will help qualified students not be denied the opportunity to succeed because of lack of faculty, classroom space, or teaching materials,” said Collins. “We can now accommodate more nursing students in an already-growing program, resulting in an increase in the Tri-Cities RN workforce.”
The grant from Mountain States is a continuation of the involvement the healthcare provider has had with area educational facilities, MSHA Chief Nursing Executive Kathryn Wilhoit said.
“Partnering with colleges and schools of nursing is a very effective strategy for us,” Wilhoit said. “By working together, we are able to plan for and address the shortage of the future.”
Wilhoit said MSHA’s history of assisting both students and institutions to produce more as well as higher quality nurses is seen as an example around the state as a best practice in dealing with nursing shortages.
MSHA already offers scholarships and grants to Milligan BSN students, as well as provides financial assistance to MSHA team members who wish to pursue a degree in nursing.
“MSHA has always been a generous supporter of the Area of Nursing at Milligan College,” said college President Donald R. Jeanes. “Their investments most assuredly help the college’s nursing program, but more importantly their commitment to us is a long-range investment in the health care quality of the Tri-Cities region.”
Milligan’s BSN program and its graduates have built a reputation for success, achieving a near 100-percent pass rate on the national licensure exam for the past six years in a row and earning commendations from the Tennessee Board of Nursing.
The practice-based program has a tradition of 100 percent of its graduates being employed as they receive their diplomas and 100 percent of those who have applied to graduate school have been accepted to the school of their choice, reported Collins.
“Milligan is very sensitive to our local area’s need for Registered Nurses and is committed to providing the highest quality of nursing education to as many students as possible who wish to serve others through the profession of nursing,” said Collins.