Waukegan,
Ill., 09/24/07--As part of the nationwide effort to alleviate the nursing shortage and retain top nurses, the College of Lake County nursing program has announced a new clinical training agreement with Waukegan-based Vista Health System.
“The college is very pleased by Vista’s large commitment to CLC nursing students,” said Derek Shouba, associate dean of the Biological and Health Sciences division. “This new partnership addresses best practices in nursing retention and leadership development, while offering students a wide variety of concrete benefits, such as a guaranteed first job interview and new levels of financial support to students who want to continue their education beyond the associate’s degree. As the nurse shortage continues and as the U.S. population continues to age, this kind of program will have very positive implication on the future of nursing in Lake County.”
The selective program, known as Vision, Collaboration, Learning and Compassion (VCLC), is aimed at CLC nursing students entering their third and fourth semester. Beginning in spring 2008, eight to 10 students per semester will spend two seven-hour days each week for two semesters at a Vista hospital as part of their clinical education.
“Today we face a critical shortage of nurses in our community.” said Barbara J. Martin, President and CEO of Vista Health System. “Providing educational opportunities through Vista Health System is the logical and appropriate answer. This is a terrific opportunity for our community to benefit from building tomorrow’s nurses, here at home, today.”
In addition to assisting nurses with daily duties, such as recording a patient’s medical history and administering medications, CLC nursing students will have opportunities to observe specialty areas such as the emergency room or obstetrics, said Eileen Gillespie, chief nursing officer at Vista Health System. After being accepted into the VCLC program, students will be granted an interview for a patient care technician position at Vista.
“CLC students can also participate in study groups, attend staff educational programs offered at Vista and receive coaching in resume writing and job interviewing,” Gillespie explained. “In addition, Vista has assured a job interview for each CLC student who completes the clinical training and graduates in good standing.”
The agreement broadens the students’ clinical experience by offering exposure to specialized areas such as the emergency room, offering educational seminars and study groups and guaranteeing a job interview after successfully completing the program.
Dr. Deborah Jezuit, CLC director of nursing education, said that the new program will enforce in-class learning for the selected students. “Another great benefit to out students is that Vista Health System will arrange for its outstanding nurses to sit down with students one-on-one to guide their education and offer study groups to reinforce educational content,” she said.
If a student is hired by Vista Health System, he or she will receive financial support from Vista when enrolling in seminars to prepare for the national registered nurse’s exam (NCLEX), Gillespie said. After one year of employment as a Vista RN, nurses will be able to study for a bachelor’s degree in nursing through Northern Illinois University, with Vista covering 100 percent of the tuition, she added. Vista also has agreed to recognize the CLC students in a nursing magazine along with Vista Health System and Community Health System publications.
To be eligible for the new clinical program, nursing students must be currently enrolled at CLC with a cumulative grade-point average of 2.75 or above and must have successfully completed the second semester of nursing and submit a letter of recommendation and an essay describing why they are pursuing nursing.
Students who are interested in the spring 2008 clinical program must apply by Oct. 12. A committee consisting of CLC and Vista representatives will select the successful applicants.
The CLC-Vista partnership comes as exciting news for students such as Edie Stelsel, who remained out of the job market for 22 years to raise a family before enrolling in CLC’s nursing program. “Doing extended and enhanced clinical education at Vista will allow me to get to know the Vista staff, and they will get to know me,” she said. “Also, Vista’s policy of guaranteeing a job interview for each successful student is a big plus.”
For more information, contact Dr. Deborah Jezuit at (847) 543-2339 or via e-mail at djezuit@clcillinois.edu . |
