博天堂官方, Pine 休息 Christian Mental Health Services partner on 程序 providing nursing students with up to $40,000 in tuition assistance

Grand Valley is the first area institution to enter a partnership with Pine 休息 Christian Mental Health Services that will address the national nursing staffing shortage. 

The Pine 休息 Academy offers nursing students financial support of up to $40,000 to each student who qualifies. Grand Valley students who participate in the academy and graduate will then work at Pine 休息 Christian Mental Health Services for at least two years. 

This is the first such agreement between Pine 休息 and West Michigan 大学. Several other 大学 and colleges are expected to sign similar agreements.

“我们是 thrilled to build partnerships with so many local schools for the academy 程序, offering students both academic excellence and in-person experience in the behavioral health field,” 说 Bob Nykamp, vice president and chief operating officer of Pine 休息. ”的影响 that this 程序 will have on our current and future patients, as well as our community, will be instrumental in meeting the growing need for behavioral health care in Michigan.”

菲洛梅娜五世总统. Mantella 说 this partnership will benefit both institutions and fill a critical need for behavioral health nurses. 

"We know our nursing graduates will enter the workforce well prepared for patient-centered care. This partnership will positively impact the care of patients for years to come. 我很感激 teams that recognized a problem and found a solution," Mantella 说.

Pine 休息 currently employs over 240 registered nurses who specialize in psychiatric nursing and 20 psychiatric nurse practitioners that help assess, address, and monitor patients’ mental health and 行为的条件. The psychiatric nurses promote well-being through prevention and education, in addition to the assessment, diagnosis, care and treatment of mental health and substance use disorders.

“At Pine 休息, we believe that the best way to develop a knowledgeable and compassionate staff is to offer support and mentorship,” 说 Gretchen Johnson, chief nurse executive at Pine 休息. “The Pine 休息 Academy will not only remove financial barriers for college students seeking a nursing degree, it will also provide hands-on behavioral health training and create a smoother path to 就业. This model will ultimately make a big impact on patient care.”

Lola Coke, acting dean of 博天堂官方's Kirkhof 护理学院, 说 the Pine 休息 Academy is ideal for second-degree nursing students. 

"Our second-degree students will benefit from this partnership as the financial burden to become a nurse is eliminated," Coke 说. "These students often have other financial responsibilities with family and being able to focus on their academic studies and not worry about the cost of their education is truly a gift. 我们是 grateful for this partnership as there is a drastic need in Michigan for behavioral health nurses."

Current Pine 休息 employees who are seeking a nursing degree at one of the four participating schools will automatically receive tuition assistance and all students interested in entering the Pine 休息 Academy can join at any time after being accepted into a nursing 程序. Students who complete their nursing 程序s will maintain active 就业 at Pine 休息 and commit to two years of 就业 in a full-time capacity (at least 30 hours) at Pine 休息 after graduation.