In an effort to ease the state’s nursing shortage, Michigan higher education and healthcare leaders have announced a collaboration to enlarge the state’s workforce.
The program aims to increase the number of nurses with bachelor’s degrees at Michigan’s hospitals and healthcare centers.
Community colleges will work with four-year universities to develop a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program, helping aspiring nurses to earn a bachelor’s degree at 28 new locations across the state.
“Staffing shortages are impacting Michigan hospitals throughout the state, particularly in the areas of nursing,” Michigan Health & Hospital Association CEO, Brian Peters, said. “This plan will help us get more highly-skilled professionals into the field quickly and increase access to nursing education in more communities across the state.”
While nursing staff shortages have existed for decades, the pandemic has highlighted and intensified the crisis. Earlier this year, Michigan lawmakers passed a $1.2 billion spending bill to improve recruitment and retention bonuses of healthcare workers.