Pine Rest offering $40K in tuition to nursing students in exchange for work agreement

Mitchell Boatman, The Holland Sentinel
·3 min read

GAINES TWP. — Three West Michigan universities and one community college are partnering with Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services for a new program to support nursing students and address employee shortages.

Grand Valley State University, Cornerstone University, Calvin University and Montcalm Community College are partnering with Pine Rest to establish Pine Rest Academy.

Grand Valley's five-story, 166,000-square-foot DeVos Center for Interprofessional Health opened in June 2021.
Grand Valley's five-story, 166,000-square-foot DeVos Center for Interprofessional Health opened in June 2021.

Students accepted into the program can receive up to $40,000 in tuition assistance from Pine Rest — $10,000 per semester for four semesters — while in nursing school. In return, the students will commit to work at Pine Rest during nursing school and for two years following graduation.

“The Pine Rest Academy will not only remove financial barriers for college students seeking a nursing degree, it will also provide hands-on behavioral health training and create a smoother path to employment,” stated Pine Rest Chief Nurse Executive Gretchen Johnson.

“We are thrilled to build partnerships with so many local schools for the academy program, offering students both academic excellence and in-person experience in the behavioral health field,” stated Bob Nykamp, vice president and chief operating officer of Pine Rest. “The impact that this program will have on our current and future patients, as well as our community, will be instrumental in meeting the growing need for behavioral health care in Michigan.”

More: Grand Valley, BSHS partner to increase access to nursing programs

More: Grand Valley's 'flagship' medical building opens in Grand Rapids

The partnership is intended to help address the national need for more mental health professionals and nurses amid burnout from the COVID-19 pandemic and retirements in the industry.

“We know our nursing graduates will enter the workforce well prepared for patient-centered care. This partnership will positively impact the care of patients for years to come. I'm grateful to the teams that recognized a problem and found a solution,” GVSU President Philomena Mantella stated.

Students accepted into Pine Rest Academy can receive up to $40,000 in tuition assistance from Pine Rest — $10,000 per semester for four semesters — while in nursing school. In return, the students will commit to work at Pine Rest during nursing school and for two years following graduation.
Students accepted into Pine Rest Academy can receive up to $40,000 in tuition assistance from Pine Rest — $10,000 per semester for four semesters — while in nursing school. In return, the students will commit to work at Pine Rest during nursing school and for two years following graduation.

Adejoke Ayoola, dean for Calvin University’s School of Health, said Pine Rest Academy will help address the increase in mental health issues that have arisen in recent years.

“The pandemic has caused increased emotional vulnerability and a lot of people are struggling with mental health, so we need more mental health nurses,” Ayoola stated. “This collaboration creates a pathway to help meet this need, while also providing an opportunity for our nursing students to gain invaluable experience and receive the financial resources that will help them pay for their education.”

Calvin University is one of four institutions participating in Pine Rest Academy at the launch of the program.
Calvin University is one of four institutions participating in Pine Rest Academy at the launch of the program.

Students must first be accepted to a nursing program at one of the four participating colleges, then apply for Pine Rest Academy. Current employees of Pine Rest who are seeking a nursing degree at one of the four schools will automatically receive tuition assistance.

Calvin University said the program will provide tuition assistance for at least six undergraduate students at the school, with that number expected to increase.

Pine Rest, the single largest behavioral health provider in Michigan, employs more than 240 registered nurses specializing in psychiatric nursing and 20 psychiatric nurse practitioners. In addition to its primary location in Gaines Township, it also has 21 outpatient locations throughout West and Northern Michigan.

— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @SentinelMitch. 

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: GVSU nursing students can get $40K from Pine Rest in new partnership