Maria College, SUNY Cobleskill, and Bassett Healthcare Network are partnering to address the nursing shortage in rural upstate New York.
Maria College President Dr. Lynn Ortale says the three entities turned problem solving into a "team sport," coming up with what she calls a pioneering weekend program with a great return on investment for students, who will be able to gain knowledge from expert faculty and use state of the art simulation tools. Maria, based in Albany, will expand its 16-month practical nurse certificate program to Cobleskill beginning in January 2025.
The joint effort begins with an LPN program. Students become licensed practical nurses after passing the National Council Licensure Examination.
“And our pass rate for first time students is above the national average," said Ortale. "And Maria will be coming to Cobleskill. We're renting classroom space, an office and some lab space. And we will be offering courses on site at Cobleskill, but also then providing transportation to our main campus. It'll be a fully ‘on a weekend program’ to be able to meet students’ needs and be able to use the high fidelity mannequins and our Virtual Reality Center for Academic Innovation on our main campus. And then this partnership really is not complete without the Bassett Healthcare Network, because they're going to provide for our clinical needs.”
Dr. Angela Belmont is Senior Vice President, Chief Nursing Executive at Bassett Healthcare Network. She says the collaboration will benefit caregivers, patients, and communities, opening a door for further collaboration offering programs for people interested in healthcare.
“It's no secret across the country that we are in need of nurses, and I think the LPN role in particular has morphed back into working more in the acute care facilities. You know, they used to be a very integral piece, and now it kind of went back to them not working in the acute care facilities, but now they are. And so we recognize both the value of the LPN and the RN, and in particular, in the communities that we serve right now,” Belmont said.
Bassett runs five hospitals, more than two dozen community-based health centers, 20 school-based health centers, and two skilled nursing facilities across a 5,600 square mile region in central New York.
This fall, Bassett eliminated about 100 primarily administrative positions across its eight-county network after the health system incurred losses of around $80 million in 2022 and 2023. It described the layoffs as a "proactive measure."
SUNY Cobleskill President Dr. Marion Terenzio says the three entities joining forces demonstrates how public and private institutions can unite to solve critical challenges.
“We know that rural healthcare systems are in constant struggle, particularly for getting staffing and to be able to serve their community members. This is important to us, because the rural community, just like all others, are in need of these important resources to continue to have healthy lives. So what we are doing, instead of competing and trying to add programs that don't fit our lane, so much necessarily, we have reached out to a tried and true partner who does programming very well in the healthcare system, and that's Maria College. We also are good neighbors to Bassett Healthcare, knowing that they need resources. So bringing all of us together on our campus to do that purpose makes sense,” said Terenzio.
SUNY Cobleskill will provide residential housing and daycare facilities for the Maria College students.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor sponsored website Projections Central, New York ranks among states having the best job outlook for nurses between 2022 and 2032, with an expected average 5,200 annual job openings.
