Local Institutions Collaborate to Address Clinical Care Staffing Shortage

The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) will partner with Saint Francis Hospital and Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital to address the demand for clinical health care workers in Connecticut. The three institutions have announced plans aimed at increasing the number of USJ students, including those from diverse backgrounds, who are placed in positions at Saint Francis and Mount Sinai.  The university, in turn, will prioritize seats for Saint Francis and Mount Sinai employees in select USJ programs.

By providing enhanced opportunities for USJ students’ clinical training at Saint Francis and Mount Sinai during their education, the partnership paves a pathway for future employment at both hospitals following graduation, according to officials.

USJ Provost Michelle Kalis, Ph.D. said, “We are thrilled to expand our partnership with Saint Francis Hospital and Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital to address the need for health care workers in Connecticut. What makes this partnership truly unique is the close collaboration between the hospitals’ clinical staff and USJ creating stronger connections between the classroom teaching and the clinical experiences.”

“We are grateful to the University of Saint Joseph for their collaboration,” said Vernette Townsend, R.N., Chief Nursing Officer, Saint Francis Hospital. “We know, coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, that healthcare has changed, and we are thankful to USJ for providing an avenue to strengthen the workforce in multiple ways. We look forward to having USJ students learning with our walls, providing care, and living our Mission to our community.”

The shortage of nurses and other health care specialists nationwide, particularly during recent years, has been widely noted.  That’s been true in Connecticut for some time.

A 2020 report by the Governor’s Workforce Council pointed out that the state had about 50,000 registered nurses, with 52 percent over age 50. The need, according to published reports highlighting the findings, is for 3,000 new registered nurses a year, but Connecticut schools graduate only 1,900 a year.

The challenges are multiple.  In 2019, Connecticut schools had to reject 7,000 nursing candidates – both because there was not enough faculty to teach them, and because there were not enough nurses to supervise student hours of onsite clinical experience, CT Examiner has reported. The new collaboration takes direct aim at those numbers, which have likely worsened through the pandemic. 

Overall, Connecticut’s health care workforce shortage is consistent with the nationwide shortage of clinical health care workers. A variety of factors continue to contribute to the challenges, including the lasting effects of working during the pandemic, nurses aging into retirement, compensation issues, and a shortage of college faculty and clinical placements to train the next generation.

Highlights of the new collaborative initiative include tuition discounts for Saint Francis and Mount Sinai employees, enhanced connections between the hospital’s clinical staff and USJ faculty and mentoring for new nurses and USJ graduate student research projects.

“We are excited to build our partnership with the University of Saint Joseph,” said Thomas Burke, BPharm, MBA, President, Saint Francis Hospital and Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital. “This collaboration will enhance the USJ students’ educational and clinical experience, allow our colleagues to further expand their education, and, ultimately, provide our community with continued outstanding care.”

USJ’s School of Interdisciplinary Studies offers seven programs that focus on a variety of health studies geared toward improving the wellbeing and health of individuals.

Learn more about USJ Health Care programs here. Learn more about Saint Francis Hospital and Mount Sinai Rehabilitation Hospital at www.trinityhealthofne.org.