Thomas Edison State University, Cooper University Health Care, and Bayada Home Health Care are teaming up to address the nursing shortage in South Jersey.
The new partnership will provide scholarships, clinical learning experiences, and jobs for qualified nursing graduates.
Students seeking Thomas Edison’s accelerated nursing bachelor’s degree — a 15-month program for people who already have a bachelor’s degree in another field — can complete their clinical studies at Cooper, a large academic health center, and Bayada, a home health-care nonprofit.
Cooper will offer jobs to students who meet certain requirements, such as passing the nursing licensure exam upon graduation.
The new partnership is supported by a $5 million donation from Mark Baiada, founder and chair of Bayada, and his wife Ann. The money will support marketing, students enrollment, and program operations.
“Our community desperately needs more nurses,” Mark Baiada said in a statement.
The program aims to increase the number of working nurses in the region. Nurses have been leaving patient-care positions since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, citing burnout as a key factor. New Jersey has thousands of unfilled nursing positions throughout the state.