‘Earn While You Learn’ partnership prepares nurse recruits

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mary Washington Healthcare in Fredericksburg, Va., and Germanna Community College formed an academic practice partnership, which met both hospital and student needs. The partners adopted an “Earn While You Learn” model, which provided financial support to RN and certified nursing assistant (CNA) students and gave Mary Washington a cohort of recruits with greater practice readiness. How the collaborators launched the program in just a few weeks and onboarded the students while staff members were stretched thin by the pandemic is detailed in a workforce development case study from the American Hospital Association (AHA). Additional resources to support staffing efforts are posted on the AHA’s workforce resource page. (AHA case study, 1/13/22)