There’s a new educational program in Hartford aiming to address a need for more nurses across the state. It’s part of a partnership between Hartford HealthCare and Quinnipiac University.
Hartford HealthCare and Quinnipiac University are teaming up to launch the New Careers in Nursing Program, a two-year accelerated initiative designed to help mid-career professionals transition into the nursing field.
The program aims to address a growing need for more registered nurses.
Kenisha Messam is one of 17 students in the first cohort of the New Careers in Nursing Program.
“I have always wanted to become a nurse, but I didn’t know how I would, given that I am doing a full-time job,” RN program student and Hartford HealthCare employee Kenisha Messam said.
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The mom of three is currently a quality performance improvement specialist with Hartford HealthCare. The health system is partnering with Quinnipiac University to offer a new program to help mid-career professionals with Hartford HealthCare transition into the nursing field, all within two years.
“We now have the capacity that they can continue to work, continue to care for their family and simultaneously in an accelerated fashion get trained to become a nurse and within two years be at the bedside,” Hartford HealthCare President and CEO Jeffrey Flaks said.
The program is designed for employees who hold a bachelor’s degree or have at least 60 transferable college credits and want a pathway into nursing.
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Participants will work part-time while attending classes at the Center for Education, Simulation and Innovation (CESI).
Messam said she did not have the means or time to pursue a BSN degree, but now the new program is changing that. She said becoming a nurse will change the trajectory of her life, and life of her three children.
“As time progresses, when it is time to become college students, I will be able to be in a better financial position to support them,” Messam said.
The healthcare system and university want to create a more accessible and affordable path into nursing and address a critical need for more registered nurses.
“We don’t have enough slots in nursing programs in Connecticut, every year there are at least 1,000 unfilled positions in nursing in Connecticut,” Quinnipiac University President Judy Olian said.
According to data by the Health Resources and Services Administration, there is a projected 10% shortage of registered nurses in 2027.
“The state of Connecticut is investing, and the end game is to make this as affordable as it possibly can be so that our people who are working today can upscale and train to become nurses,” Flaks said.
Tuition will be less than $10,000 a year, and each student will receive a stipend of $5,000 to cover textbooks and supplies.
The first cohort will graduate in May of 2027.
