YORK, Pa. — After construction, painting and unpacking, a brand new nursing school will be opening this August in York County.
A severe local nursing shortage is one of the main reasons WellSpan Health is partnering with Jersey College to establish a school of nursing that will offer an associate degree.
"Nurses play such a crucial role in how we provide care to patients," said Kasey Paulus with WellSpan. "It's nurses who are responsible for providing 24-hour care, but they also provide care across all different types of care settings. Sometimes a baccalaureate degree to start with just isn't feasible for some students, so this is really about tailoring to non-traditional students, opening that door for them to pursue a degree in nursing."
The senior vice president and chief nursing executive at WellSpan Health says the building, located at 1409 Williams Rd. in Springettsbury Township, will offer spacious classrooms, collaboration areas, a skills lab and a student lounge.
"WellSpan is really committed to high-quality exceptional care that's close to home, and in order to deliver on that promise, it's critical for us to have a really sustainable nursing workforce, and this is a way for us to add to that workforce," Paulus said.
Jersey College was established in 2003 with the goal of offering nursing education for the adult professional. It currently has 3,300 students across its 16 campuses in six states, including Pennsylvania.
"Our school coming into the area and partnering with WellSpan gives those wanting to become nurses the chance and opportunity to go back to school," said Nicole Byers, dean of Jersey College.
The school hopes to have between 30 to 50 students per nursing cohort and three cohorts per year. That means it could see up to 150 students per year, with the inaugural class starting in about two months, on Aug. 26.
"It's really about adding to the other options that are already available; we have a lot of great partners in Pa. and this is about adding to that suite of options." said Paulus.
If you are interested in enrolling, the school is officially accepting applications. Click here to apply.