Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min<\/p>\n
When Lansdale<\/a> native Nyla Sanders received an email about Gwynedd Mercy University\u2019s new loan repayment program, she says her heart \u201clit up.\u201d<\/p>\n The university\u2019s Nursing Scholars Network program<\/a> offered nursing students employment after graduation at a participating health system \u2014 and their employer would repay $25,000 to $65,000 of their educational loans. <\/p>\n A sophomore at the time, Sanders bookmarked the email when it landed last year, intent on applying once she became eligible in her senior year.<\/p>\n \u201cWow, there\u2019s something that can help me tackle a large sum of my loans once I graduate,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Gwynedd Mercy\u2019s repayment program, launched in late 2024, represents one of many efforts by Philadelphia-area nursing schools to address the nursing shortage in recent years.<\/p>\n La Salle University, Thomas Jefferson University<\/a>, and the University of Pennsylvania<\/a> are among the other institutions with initiatives that range from accelerated degree tracks to educational programs for middle and high schoolers.<\/p>\n Two years ago, Pennsylvania was projected to have the worst nursing shortage in the country by 2026, according to a report by the consulting firm Mercer. Its aging workforce, retirement trends, issues with retention and turnover, and burnout had fueled widespread concern. <\/p>\n \u201cI think we\u2019re on a good course,\u201d said Tom Foley, president of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania, regarding the shortage. \u201cThe work will continue because the need will continue.\u201d<\/p>\n For Sanders, Gwynedd Mercy offered a financially viable pipeline to attaining her dream of becoming a nurse. She had started college at Drexel University<\/a> and transferred after her freshman year, realizing she could not afford the tuition. Full price is currently $63,078 at Drexel<\/a>, compared to $41,980 at Gwynedd Mercy<\/a>.<\/p>\n Now a senior in the bachelor\u2019s of nursing program, she applies for a scholarship every week. Though still anxious over her loans, Gwynedd Mercy\u2019s repayment program gives her added confidence that she can stay on the path.<\/p>\n \u201cOur intention has always [been] trying to address the barriers and help to improve the workforce pipeline,\u201d said Jane Tang, dean of nursing at Gwynedd Mercy.<\/p>\n A jump-start<\/p>\n Students in Southeastern Pennsylvania can get a jump-start on a nursing career path as early as third grade.<\/p>\n Jefferson partners with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Area Black Nurses Association<\/a> to run the Mini Nurse Academy. Started in 2023, the program aims to improve health literacy, build interest in nursing, and diversify the profession.<\/p>\n \u201cThe shortage is not just about increasing the number of new hires,\u201d said Marie Ann Marino, dean of Jefferson\u2019s College of Nursing. \u201cIt\u2019s about attracting people into the profession.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: A \u2018mini nurse academy\u2019 for elementary school students is trying to diversify nursing<\/a><\/p>\n The Howley ASPIRE Nurse Scholars Program at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania<\/a> similarly works to attract young people to nursing early.<\/p>\n In partnership with La Salle University, the program provides high schoolers with early exposure and mentorship. Students who go on to study nursing at La Salle also receive a guaranteed scholarship and part-time employment at HUP during college.<\/p>\n \u201cThe students are providing direct patient care as early as their freshman year, which is pretty unlike, I think, any other nursing student,\u201d said Diana Rodenbaugh, nursing professional development specialist for the program.<\/p>\n The program aims to help Philadelphia students who may lack the financial or social supports needed to enroll in a nursing program, said Gabrielle Mariotti, who manages the program. It\u2019s sponsored by the Howley Foundation, an Ohio-based nonprofit that supports educational opportunities to create social and economic mobility.<\/p>\n Goals include building a workforce that better represents the community they serve. The majority of participants are from historically underrepresented groups.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople who are ill and hospitalized really want to be taken care of by people who look like them,\u201d said Beth Ann Swan, dean of La Salle\u2019s school of nursing and health sciences. <\/p>\n The program currently counts 43 nursing students at La Salle, with the first cohort set to graduate next May. In time, the effort could recruit a nursing workforce that is \u201cconnected and engaged with the people that they\u2019ll be taking care of,\u201d Swan said. <\/p>\n Accelerated paths<\/p>\n New accelerated pathways allow students to become nurses faster than the traditional four-year route.<\/p>\n Gwynedd Mercy offers a master\u2019s-level nursing degree<\/a> in as few as 20 months. Another part-time option, the weekend BSN program, can be completed in three years.<\/p>\n These target career-changers who already have a bachelor\u2019s degree in a different field \u201cto make nursing education more accessible to people at different stages of their lives and careers,\u201d Tang said.<\/p>\n The accelerated master\u2019s program started with 13 students in 2022 and has since grown to 59. Gwynedd Mercy has since added a second yearly admissions cycle to accommodate the popularity of the program.<\/p>\n Drexel University, Temple University<\/a>, and Jefferson are among the other area schools that also offer accelerated pathways.<\/p>\n Emeritus nursing<\/p>\n