Nursing program coming to Eastern Connecticut State University

WILLIMANTIC, CT (WFSB) – Japanese Connecticut State College will quickly add a brand new program to its choices: nursing.

Beginning subsequent semester, college students can start enrolling in courses that can assist earn them a level in nursing. That’s one thing the college has by no means supplied earlier than.

“There’s a healthcare scarcity not only a nursing scarcity,” ECSU Senior Dayshalee Torres stated.

Torres is a well being sciences main and an authorized nursing assistant; however, she needs extra in life.

“I hope to change into a nurse in Connecticut and get my Connecticut nursing license,” Torres stated.

That’s one thing individuals like Governor Ned Lamont and ECSU Well being Sciences Chairman Dr. Yaw Nsiah wish to hear as Connecticut faces a nursing scarcity like by no means earlier than.

“Retirement numbers are going up yearly,” Nsiah stated. “A whole lot of nurses are retiring and Covid didn’t assist that a lot.”

Connecticut wants about 3,000 new nurses every year. Solely about 1,900 new candidates graduate from Connecticut colleges every year in accordance with the Governor’s Workforce Council.

“So far as the nursing scarcity is taken into account, we’re simply going to do our little bit,” Nsiah stated. “We’re going to assist.”

ECSU expects about 60 college students to graduate from this system every year. The Willimantic campus would be the dwelling of the “guide” courses for this system whereas the long run nurses get extra hands-on classes due to Hartford Healthcare.

“(The) Hartford Healthcare Company is giving us $1 million to construct a complete new medical lab – a simulation lab – for this system,” Nsiah stated. “We even have cash from the Windham Hospital Basis to help this system.”

The $1.2 million comes from the state’s $35 million Connecticut Well being Horizons venture, aimed toward combating the state’s nursing scarcity. ECSU’s lower of the cash will go in direction of issues like new gear, provides and college. That features professors like Paul Canavan.

“In school I actually attempt to emphasize the significance of why you’re studying it and how one can apply it in order that once you go on and change into graduates and in a while well being care professionals it can make an enormous distinction,” Canavan stated.

For Torres, making a distinction is what it’s all about.

“I identical to serving to individuals and nursing is an effective way to try this,” Torres stated.

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