"The Health Care Learning Center is a cooperative project of both institutions and will allow area nursing students to complete their education in Gettysburg" said Dr. Edna V. Baehre, president of Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC.)
This expansion comes on the heels of a recently completed major renovation and expansion at the Gettysburg Campus and is designed to meet the educational needs of a greater number of pre-nursing students from the region.
At the same time, Gettysburg Hospital, like hospitals nationwide, is finding it increasingly difficult to fill vacant nursing positions. "This partnership between the two institutions fulfills a shared objective in meeting local needs," said Gettysburg Hospital President Steven W. Renner.
When the Health Care Learning Center is completed, area students will be able to complete their nursing classes and their clinical experience locally. HACC expects to enroll and graduate approximately 25 nursing students each year.
"The 6000 square-foot Gettysburg Hospital Health Care Learning Center will have four separate learning spaces: classroom, computer lab, microbiology lab and a skills lab," said Baehre.
"In addition to classroom and laboratory experience, Gettysburg Campus students will complete clinical rotations through a variety of specialty areas at Gettysburg Hospital and other area health care institutions," she added.
The hospital sees this opportunity to improve its recruiting efforts as well as provide well educated, skilled nurses to fill numerous other nursing positions in the local labor market.
"The current shortage of qualified nurses has been characterized as one of the most serious health care crises facing Pennsylvania and the nation. A Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry analysis anticipates openings for 3,995 registered nurses each year through 2005," Renner added. "By contrast, nursing schools in Pennsylvania graduated only 2,918 students in 2000 and Pennsylvania is the largest educator of nurses in the nation."
The partnership between Gettysburg Hospital and Gettysburg Campus HACC will also allow increased financial aid to needy students. A Gettysburg Hospital Nursing Scholarship endowment is being established to ensure that nursing students at the Gettysburg Campus have access to the funds they need to complete their education.
"Both HACC and Gettysburg Hospital are making a financial investment in the nursing program at Gettysburg, a partnership formed to provide greater opportunities for area students and ensure a well educated, highly qualified nursing force for Adams County and the region," Renner said.
HACC's nursing program is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission and approved by the Pennsylvania Board of Nursing. Currently there are more than 120 students enrolled in the pre-nursing program at the Gettysburg Campus the largest number enrolled in any one program at Gettysburg.
Further information about the nursing program will be available at a community open house to be held at the Gettysburg Campus of HACC, 731 Old Harrisburg Road, on Monday, September 30 at 6:30 p.m., or by contacting the college at 717-337-3855.