Partnership provides opportunities for nursing students

Trevecca faculty and staff gather together at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital for press conference. Photo courtesy Trevecca Marketing.

By Keturah Tobias

Staff Writer

Trevecca and Marian University’s Leighton School of Nursing announced they will team up with Ascension Saint Thomas to open a new learning center to prepare the next generation of nurses in metro Nashville.

Ascension Saint Thomas is one of the nation’s leading non-profit and the only faith-based health system in Middle Tennessee. It offers more than 250 sites of care that cover 45 counties across the state of Tennessee, with 16 hospitals and a network consisting of joint ventures, medical practices, clinics and specialty facilities.

Marian University is in Indianapolis, Indiana, and offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in multiple fields.

A press conference held at Ascension Saint Thomas provided details about the new program.

Photos by Sol Ayala

Photos by Sol Ayala

Photos by Sol Ayala

The multi-million-dollar investment will feature innovative and educational mannequins, additional classrooms, and surgery simulation labs with viewing windows and adjacent debrief rooms.

“We are grateful for this investment by Ascension Saint Thomas –the education center will provide an innovative active-learning space to better prepare the next generation of nurses by having them immersed in the hospital setting,” said Tom Middendorf, provost and chief of staff at Trevecca.

Nurses are still in high demand, and Tennessee hospitals still experience being short handed. Recruiting more healthcare professionals is still a top priority for Tennessee hospitals and the Tennessee Hospital Association (THA).

“We both know that healthcare organizations across the nation are experiencing nursing shortages every year,” said Amir Hamad, vice president of Nursing for Ascension Saint Thomas. “Nashville is not immune from that staggering statistic. Ascension Saint Thomas wants to be a part of the answer for growing our nursing base; by partnering with Marian University, Trevecca Nazarene University, and other nursing colleges we are working to find our future nurses by giving people an opportunity to grow through education.”