SCRANTON, Pa. — A partnership between a college and a health system will be bringing a nursing program to northeastern Pennsylvania.
Nursing students will soon be working and learning inside Moses Taylor Hospital in Scranton.
Earlier this week, Commonwealth Health announced it was partnering with Jersey College to start a six-semester nursing program at the hospital.
Maggie Jeffers is the division director of hospital-based campuses with the college and says the two entities have coordinated this program in other areas.
"They identified communities and hospitals that could benefit from this program. And Commonwealth in the area in Scranton was one of those areas that they identified as having the space to be able to house us and, you know, a need for that workforce."
With the opening of the nursing program at Moses Taylor, Jersey College has 14 nursing programs they have across the country. This will be the ninth inside a hospital.
Jeffers says this model of learning is beneficial to students.
"They come in, perhaps right out of high school or maybe a second career, and it's two years from start to finish, including their gen ed's, and it finishes with an ASN —associate's degree in nursing."
The hope is to get nursing students hands-on training and fill some empty positions in hospitals faster.
"Many of our graduates from both types of programs go on to get their bachelor's, get their masters, but it allows them to get out there, get licensed, and get to the bedside a little quicker, and then they can continue their education for a bachelor's or master's degree after that," Jeffers said.
The first semester of this nursing program is expected to begin in January and has space for 30 students.
To learn more about Jersey College at Moses Taylor Hospital or begin the enrollment process, visit www.jerseycollege.edu/scranton or call (570) 866-3311.
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