NMC first to use new grant for nurses

Feb. 19—TRAVERSE CITY — Ailee Jurkovich is in her second semester earning an associate degree in nursing at Northwestern Michigan College.

The 20-year-old, who will have her ADN completed by next May, also works as a nursing assistant at Munson Medical Center in Traverse City. She is an ideal candidate for a new program in which she can transfer to Davenport University to earn her bachelor of science in nursing once she graduates from NMC and passes her state board licensure exam.

NMC is partnering with Davenport University to offer a three-year BSN that, in addition to being a shorter program, offers most classes in-person on the NMC campus.

"It's a little bit faster and a little bit cheaper and I'd like to stay close to home," said Jurkovich, of Traverse City.

Students complete an associate degree at NMC, a two-year program, followed by a third year through Davenport, which has a BSN program at NMC's University Center in Traverse City, where some classes will be taught. Most will be taught at NMC, with the program starting in May.

"Some of the classes will be online, but mostly they'll be face-to-face," said NMC's Director of Nursing Tamella Livengood. "That's one of the things that Davenport offered and that students ask for."

There also is more support for students, which is one of the biggest differences in the new program, Livengood said. A nurse navigator will be brought on board to help students with issues like time management or if they are struggling with a difficult class, such as pharmacology, or getting them through their state boards.

"The real focus and the real difference that I see is that the grant funding is allowing us to provide support to our local nursing students," Livengood said.

She thinks the program will invigorate nursing locally and is already generating a lot of interest.

Goals include keeping students from not finishing their degree, as well as keeping them in the area to work at places such as Munson, which gave input on designing the program. It also makes it easier for working students to earn an advanced degree, as Munson requires all of its nurses to have a BSN within five years of hire.

Alicia Miner works at Munson as an anesthesia aide. She has two children with another on the way and is enrolled in the NMC nursing program. She was going to get her BSN at another university, but said now she'll stick closer to home and finish at Davenport.

The in-person classes are what appealed most to Miner, 28.

"I'm a better learner in face-to-face versus being online," Miner said.

Plus, online classes taken from home are difficult when she's taking care of her family and the kids have outside activities and other things going on. She studies at home, but keeping school and home separate is easier for her.

"That way, when I'm home I can focus on my family and, when I'm on campus, I can focus strictly on my schoolwork," Miner said.

She also prefers being able to speak to her instructors in person rather than by phone or email.

NMC is the first of 28 community colleges in Michigan to take advantage of state legislation passed last year that allows community colleges to develop partnerships for associate degree nurses to earn a BSN. One of the goals was to make it easier for working students.

The state backed the legislation with $56 million in the 2023 fiscal year budget, with community colleges able to apply for a $2 million grant to get programs in place.

The NMC program and others come at a time when the nursing shortage threatens health care. Nurses have left the field at an unprecedented pace and those that remain are facing burnout and high nurse-to-patient ratios.

Tami Putney, Munson's chief nursing officer, in an email statement wrote that the partnership provides greater access and opportunity for the hospital's nurses to advance their education and career, which ultimately benefits patients.

"Building a new pipeline of nurses is a critical need across the healthcare industry," Putney wrote. "Northwestern Michigan College has long played a key role in training the nurses that work in our northern Michigan hospitals. Offering this path to a BSN only strengthens this partnership and quality of healthcare in our community."

Legislation is different than a proposed bill last year that would have allowed community colleges to create BSN programs. That bill was tie-barred to another that, if passed, would have withheld property taxes from any community college that offered a BSN.

The college put out a request for proposals in October; nine universities responded to the request. Davenport was chosen because of its commitment to NMC's strategic plan, as well as its offering an in-person option and local student support.

"Davenport is really committed to student success in this region and that's the reason we chose to go with them," Livengood said.

The private, nonprofit university has had a nursing program since 2006, with all graduates hired within six months. An articulation agreement with NMC has been in place since 2017 and has graduated nearly 60 students.

Students also can take classes concurrently at NMC and Davenport so they finish faster, said Amy Miller, Davenport's executive director of communications. Miller said she expects the new program to increase the number of transfer students.

"I anticipate more students will be taking advantage of this program as a result of this partnership," Miller said.

NMC has the largest ADN program north of Grand Rapids; in the last two years 91 students have graduated, 64 of whom are employed at Munson. NMC students also have a high rate of success on their state licensure exam — most recently more than 95 percent, which Livengood said is one of the highest in Michigan.