University Of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health System Inc

NURSE EDUCATION, PRACTICE, QUALITY AND RETENTION - TRANSITION TO PRACTICE PROGRAM - PATHWAYS TO PRACTICE, LED BY UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND UPPER CHESAPEAKE HEALTH (UM UCH) IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CECIL COLLEGE AND HARFORD COMMUNITY COLLEGE, WILL INCREASE THE SUPPLY OF A HIGH-QUALITY NURSING WORKFORCE FOR RURAL AND MEDICALLY VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES IN HARFORD COUNTY, MARYLAND, OVER A FOUR-YEAR PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE. HARFORD COUNTY FACES A COMPOUNDING NURSING SHORTAGE DRIVEN BY AN AGING RN WORKFORCE, HIGH PRECEPTOR BURNOUT, AND A SHRINKING POOL OF QUALIFIED CLINICAL PRECEPTORS. NATIONALLY, PRELICENSURE NURSING ATTRITION RUNS 15–30%, DRIVEN PRIMARILY BY SCHEDULING CONFLICTS AND COST BARRIERS RATHER THAN ACADEMIC FAILURE, DISPROPORTIONATELY EXCLUDING WORKING ADULTS SUCH AS CNAS/GNAS FROM COMPLETING RN COURSEWORK. NEWLY LICENSED RNS FACE A PARALLEL CRISIS: ONLY 9% ARE RATED FULLY PRACTICE-READY AT HIRE, AND NATIONAL ATTRITION REACHES 17.5–30% WITHIN THE FIRST YEAR AND UP TO 57% BY THE SECOND. THESE PRESSURES FALL HARDEST ON ABERDEEN (HARFORD COUNTY), WHERE RESIDENTS FACE ELEVATED POVERTY, LIMITED VEHICLE ACCESS, AND THE COUNTY'S HIGHEST EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT UTILIZATION RATE, ALONGSIDE A PRIMARY CARE AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROVIDER SHORTAGE. AS A NONMETROPOLITAN REGION, HARFORD COUNTY SITS WITHIN AN AREA HRSA PROJECTS WILL FACE AN 11% RN SHORTAGE BY 2038, MORE THAN FIVE TIMES THE METROPOLITAN RATE. TO ADDRESS THESE NEEDS, THE PROGRAM PURSUES FOUR INTEGRATED OBJECTIVES. FIRST, IT WILL PROVIDE RN SCHOLARSHIPS PRIORITIZING CNAS/GNAS AND OTHER CURRENT HEALTHCARE WORKERS, PAIRED WITH WRAPAROUND FUNDING COVERING CHILDCARE, TEXTBOOKS, HOUSING, AND UNIFORMS TO ADDRESS NON-TUITION BARRIERS, ALONGSIDE CONTINUED COMPETENCY-BASED CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT AT BOTH COLLEGES. THIS OBJECTIVE ALSO ESTABLISHES AN ON-SITE WELLNESS PROGRAM OFFERING MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT, COACHING, AND RESILIENCE RESOURCES, INCLUDING A STRUCTURED PEER MENTORSHIP PROGRAM PAIRING NEWLY LICENSED AND NEWLY HIRED RNS WITH EXPERIENCED MENTORS THROUGH THEIR FIRST THREE YEARS AT UM UCH, TARGETING THE HIGHEST-RISK PERIOD FOR EARLY-CAREER ATTRITION. SECOND, THE PROGRAM EXPANDS CLINICAL TRAINING INTO NON-TRADITIONAL, COMMUNITY-BASED UM UCH SETTINGS, INCLUDING A MOBILE HEALTH VAN, A 33-BED PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL, AND THE KLEIN FAMILY CENTER CRISIS CENTER, REQUIRING EVERY RN SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT TO COMPLETE 100 ADDITIONAL CLINICAL HOURS ACROSS THESE SITES. THIRD, THE PROGRAM BUILDS A PIPELINE OF HSSOB/INACSL-TRAINED SIMULATION FACILITATORS AND DEVELOPS A TRAINING COURSE ORIENTING CECIL COLLEGE AND HARFORD COMMUNITY COLLEGE FACULTY TO UM UCH'S SPECIFIC CLINICAL PROTOCOLS, REDUCING THE THEORY-PRACTICE GAP THAT CONTRIBUTES TO EARLY TURNOVER. FOURTH, THE PROGRAM INVESTS IN ADDITIONAL SIMULATION EQUIPMENT, AN EXPANDED SIMULATION LAB, AND NEW HIGH-ACUITY CLINICAL SCENARIOS COVERING STROKE, TBI, AND OBSTETRIC AND NEONATAL EMERGENCIES, TO BUILD COMPETENCY AND CONFIDENCE IN LOW-FREQUENCY, HIGH-RISK CONDITIONS BEFORE LICENSURE. THIS PROGRAM DIRECTLY SERVES CNAS, GNAS, AND NURSING STUDENTS AT CECIL COLLEGE AND HARFORD COMMUNITY COLLEGE; NEWLY LICENSED AND NEWLY HIRED REGISTERED NURSES, MEDICAL ASSISTANTS, AND DIRECT CARE STAFF AT UM UCH; AND NURSING FACULTY AND CLINICAL PRECEPTORS ACROSS BOTH PARTNER COLLEGES AND UM UCH. ULTIMATELY, THE PROGRAM BENEFITS THE RESIDENTS OF HARFORD COUNTY, BY EXPANDING THE SUPPLY OF TRAINED, RETAINED NURSING PROFESSIONALS EQUIPPED TO DELIVER ACCESSIBLE, COMMUNITY-BASED CARE IN THE SETTINGS AND POPULATIONS FACING THE GREATEST DOCUMENTED GAPS IN CARE.