Health
To combat nursing shortage, universities create accelerated 12-month training programs: 'A win-win'
PORTLAND, Maine – America needs nurses — and some schools are implementing accelerated programs to train them.
To shorten the process, these programs cut training time from up to four years down to one.
“I really do think this is a win-win for students and local hospitals and facilities,” said Elizabeth Mann, assistant clinical professor at the University of New England, in an interview with Fox News. She’s based in Maine.
LESS THAN HALF OF NURSES ARE ‘FULLY ENGAGED’ AT WORK, WHILE MANY ARE ‘UNENGAGED,’ NEW REPORT REVEALS
Prospective students must have a previous bachelor’s degree and need to complete eight prerequisite courses.
This is dramatically shorter than the typical two- to four-year nursing program.
A student participates in training to become a nurse at the University of New England. (Kailey Schuyler)
“I think the ability to get a second degree in something like a bachelor’s in nursing is very appealing to many people,” UNE Nursing School’s interim director Donna Hyde told Fox News.
“They don’t have to have a health care background. We will get them there.”
NURSING SHORTAGE HITTING RURAL AMERICA HARDEST
The new fast-track nursing program at the University of New England is slated to begin in May.
The goal is to help students get into the workforce sooner, but they’ll have to put in some serious training as well, experts say.
The states most in need of nurses are Washington, Oregon, California, Michigan and Georgia, according to the National Center of Health Workforce Analysis. (Kailey Schuyler)
“There’s nothing cut back. They do the same amount of clinical hours, so we allow time for that,” said Hyde.
“Their schedule may have to be a little more flexible to include consideration of weekends.”
There’s a projected shortage of over 78,000 registered nurses next year, according to the National Center of Health Workforce Analysis.
NURSING PROGRAMS STRUGGLE TO KEEP UP AMID A NATIONWIDE SHORTAGE OF NURSES
The states most in need of nurses are Washington, Oregon, California, Michigan and Georgia.
“As different states are looking at their own options to increase their nursing workforce, this is one of those options,” Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, the Oregon-based president of the American Nurses Association, told Fox News.
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The shortened 12-month program not only appeals to students, but will also benefit local health care facilities, Mann said.
Hyde noted that she speaks to many of the nurse administrators at local health care partners, and “they obviously see the need for more nurses sooner rather than later.”
Nursing students train in a simulation lab to prepare for the workforce. The shortened 12-month program appeals to students and also benefits local health care facilities, experts say. (Kailey Schuyler)
Some have expressed doubt that students can be ready in just a year, Mann pointed out.
”They may interpret it as [offering] a lesser quality [of training] or that we are pushing students through, and I do want to emphasize that is truly not the case,” she said.
Up to 40 students are expected to start the program in May at the University of New England.
To combat the nursing shortage, some schools are implementing accelerated programs to train new nurses. (iStock)
Once students complete the program, they will have to pass a national exam — just like a traditional four-year student — to officially become a nurse.
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Novo Nordisk to slash Wegovy, Ozempic list prices
Board certified rheumatologist Dr. Mahsa Tehrani discusses Novo Nordisk’s decision to dramatically cut the U.S. list prices for its popular diabetes and weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy on ‘America Reports.’
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Millions of Medicare beneficiaries struggling with obesity could soon see the cost of weight-loss drugs plummet, as a new federal pilot program launching July 1 expands access to GLP-1 medications like Wegovy and Zepbound for eligible seniors.
Through a new trial called Medicare GLP-1 Bridge, the federal government is now offering a selection of the brand-name medications to certain Medicare and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries for $50 a month, The Associated Press reported.
The covered medications include drugmaker Eli Lilly’s Foundayo tablets and Zepbound KwikPens and Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy injections and tablets, all of which have been FDA-approved for weight loss, according to the report.
OZEMPIC USERS MAY BE MAKING A MAJOR WEIGHT-LOSS MISTAKE, NEW STUDY SUGGESTS
The temporary program is set to run until the end of 2027.
This is the first time GLP-1s (glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists) will be covered by insurance when used solely for weight loss.
A new federal pilot program launching July 1 expands access to GLP-1 medications like Wegovy and Zepbound for eligible seniors. (iStock)
Prior to this new Medicare pilot, seniors who wanted to access GLP-1s for obesity alone paid about $1,350-$1,650 per month for Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy (semaglutide) and about $1,086 monthly for Lilly’s Zepbound (tirzepatide). However, both manufacturers offered some cash-pay options that significantly reduced those prices for eligible patients.
GLP-1 WEIGHT LOSS DRUGS ARE RESHAPING THE BRIDAL INDUSTRY AS SHOPS RUSH ORDERS AND REQUIRE NEW WAIVERS
There are some parameters surrounding the coverage — older adults must have had a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or higher when they started GLP-1 therapy, or a BMI of 27 or higher alongside another health condition, such as a past heart attack or stroke or prediabetes.
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Those who already have insurance coverage for other diseases, such as diabetes and sleep apnea, are not eligible for the program.
Through a new trial called Medicare GLP-1 Bridge, the federal government is now offering a selection of the brand-name medications to certain Medicare and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries for $50 a month. (iStock)
There are more than 70 million Americans currently enrolled in Medicare, 10 million of whom are overweight or obese, according to Juliette Cubanski, vice president and director of the program on Medicare policy at the healthcare research nonprofit KFF.
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“For many older Americans living with obesity, this is a moment they and their families have been waiting for,” Jamey Millar, Novo Nordisk’s executive vice president of U.S. operations, said in a press release.
“The Medicare GLP-1 Bridge program offers a new, affordable path to an FDA-approved treatment that was previously not covered.”
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Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said he hopes the program can help his agency collect data to potentially work toward longer-term coverage, while providing immediate relief to cash-strapped older Americans, AP reported.
“The sheer cost of these medications is a huge barrier to access,” he said in a call with reporters. “That ends today.”
Prior to this new Medicare pilot, seniors who wanted to access GLP-1s for obesity alone paid about $1,350-$1,650 per month for Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy (semaglutide) and about $1,086 monthly for Lilly’s Zepbound (tirzepatide). (iStock)
Oz told reporters that CMS plans to “carefully track participation and outcomes” to see whether an extension of the Bridge program or another solution is the best way to move forward. He told AP a federal law permanently allowing the coverage is “not essential right now” but something “for Congress to debate amongst themselves.”
“We can’t decide what’s going to happen long term with Bridge until we see some of the data,” he said, adding that there are ongoing talks with drug companies to lower costs.
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One potential concern is that older patients tend to have more adverse effects to medication in general , according to Dr. Micah Eimer, a clinical assistant professor of cardiology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
“Specifically, in our research, older patients on blood pressure medications were more likely to experience hypotensive side effects, such as fainting and dizziness, after starting a GLP-1,” he said in a statement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Federal health officials are attempting to track down the source of a microscopic parasite that triggers prolonged gastrointestinal illness, as domestic cases begin to climb for the summer season.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had confirmed 145 cases of cyclosporiasis across 17 states as of mid-June 2026, all linked to infections acquired in the U.S.
The culprit is Cyclospora, a microscopic parasite known to cause cyclosporiasis.
DEADLY ‘FOX TAPEWORM’ LINKED TO LETHAL DISEASE DETECTED IN WEST COAST WILDLIFE
The hallmark symptom of the infection is watery, often “explosive” diarrhea that can last for weeks or even months if left untreated, the CDC says.
There is currently no evidence of a single, multistate Cyclospora outbreak linking all cases. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy, File)
Other symptoms include severe abdominal cramping, bloating, nausea, fatigue and significant weight loss.
The official outbreak season for the parasite runs from May 1 through Aug. 31, a window where warmer temperatures historically coincide with a spike in infections, according to the CDC.
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Cases have cropped up in states ranging from Texas to Alaska. New York has been hit the hardest so far, reporting between 31 and 80 cases, followed by Texas and Illinois, which have each reported between 11 and 30 cases.
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While the infection can sometimes clear up on its own, it frequently requires antibiotics. Out of the 145 confirmed cases, 20 patients have required hospitalization, per the CDC.
While the infection can sometimes clear up on its own, it frequently requires antibiotics. (iStock)
No deaths have yet been reported. Patients range from 5 to 86 years old, though the median age is 42, and women make up 61% of the reported cases, data shows.
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The CDC, alongside the Food and Drug Administration and state health officials, is actively investigating several multi-state clusters, but they have yet to find a cause behind the spread.
Officials urge patients with symptoms to seek help from a medical professional. (iStock)
“There is currently no evidence of a single, multistate Cyclospora outbreak linking all cases,” the CDC noted in its surveillance report.
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The CDC advises anyone experiencing symptoms of cyclosporiasis to contact a healthcare provider for testing and treatment.
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