Cleveland Clinic doubling nurse scholars through $12M donation

Photo: FG Trade/Getty Images

In a bid to bolster the healthcare workforce and promote diversity, Cleveland Clinic has received a gift of more than $12 million from The Howley Foundation to double its number of nurse scholars, beginning this fall.

All programs within the ASPIRE initiative at Cleveland Clinic will be renamed to reflect the Howley name, including the Howley ASPIRE Nurse Scholars Program.

The nursing program is for local high school and college students, and seeks to increase diversity in healthcare, address opportunity gaps and reduce health disparities in the community.

WHAT'S THE IMPACT

The gift will allow the nurse scholars program to double enrollment to approximately 50 students from Cleveland-area high schools each year.

Students enter the program as high school juniors and are taught a curriculum that provides an exploration of the nursing profession, as well as socialization and integration into healthcare. High school graduates then have the opportunity to earn a scholarship to pursue a bachelor of science degree in nursing from the Breen School of Nursing and Health Professions at Ursuline College.

Students work as patient care nursing assistants at Cleveland Clinic during the summer after high school graduation and throughout their college career. They then have the opportunity to return to work as registered nurses at a Cleveland Clinic facility after college graduation and licensure.

Launched in 2017, the program was the brainchild of Kelly Hancock, DNP, chief caregiver officer of Cleveland Clinic and the holder of the Rich Family Chief Caregiver Chair, as well as Lorie and Nick Howley. It has been sustained by the The Howley Foundation, which has committed more than $20 million to date, and other donors, such as Beth E. Mooney and the KeyBank Foundation.

In December 2022, the nurse scholars program celebrated its first five graduates, who are now employed as full-time registered nurses at Cleveland Clinic.

The Howley ASPIRE Program also offers additional pathways for other healthcare careers including respiratory therapy, surgical technology and sterile processing.

THE LARGER TREND

The students in the program are exploring the nursing field at a complicated time for the profession. While a recent nurse.org survey showed that 60% of nurses still love their jobs, 62% are still concerned about the future of nursing.

The numbers are an improvement from 2021, but nurses are still reporting high levels of burnout, mental health issues and lack of support, among other hardships. About 39% of them said they were dissatisfied with their current job, though this answer varied based on education level and specialty.

Staffing issues and an ongoing nursing shortage continue to cause challenges for the nation's nursing workforce. A full 91% of respondents believe the nursing shortage is getting worse and that burnout, poor working conditions and inadequate pay are the primary causes.

Meanwhile, 79% said their units are inadequately staffed, while 71% said improving staffing ratios would have the greatest impact on the nursing shortage. And of course, nurses want better pay. Fifty-five percent saw a pay increase during the last year, but 75% still feel underpaid and 52% believe their hospital does not pay nurses with similar experience equally.

On Thursday, the Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services, awarded more than $100 million to train nurses to grow the workforce. Shortages are exacerbated by a lack of faculty to train them, HHS said.

In October, the Department of Health and Human Services awarded $13 million to bolster nursing education and training to grow the nursing workforce and improve access to nursing education.

The awards, administered through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), are part of a series of investments across HHS and the Department of Labor to support pathways into good, quality nursing jobs. Investing in the nursing workforce pipeline has been a key component of President Biden's goal to improve the safety and quality of care in nursing homes.

ON THE RECORD

"It's essential that we diversify the pipeline of our future healthcare workforce, including nurses, to better represent our patients and the communities we serve," said Dr. Tom Mihaljevic, CEO and president of Cleveland Clinic and the holder of the Morton L. Mandel CEO Chair. "We are grateful for the Howley's continued support and passion for increasing diversity and equity in our next generation of caregivers."
 

Twitter: @JELagasse
Email the writer: Jeff.Lagasse@himssmedia.com