KERN COUNTY, Calif. (KERO) — A new place-based learning program has been launched for Bakersfield College and Cerro Coso Community College nursing students.
The pilot Dedicated Education Unit allows nursing students to complete clinical work hours under the instruction of experienced nurses at Adventist Health hospitals in Bakersfield, Delano and Tehachapi.
“This is a way to expand the high quality instructional opportunities we offer our nursing students, while leveraging partnerships with local hospitals and their talented nurses, said Carla Gard, dean of Instruction for Nursing and Allied Health at Bakersfield College, in a statement.
“With efforts like this, we can quickly expand our program capacity and start to graduate more nurses to fill jobs at our local hospitals.”
The program is a joint effort from Kern Community College District (Kern CCD) and Adventist Health Kern County.
“Hiring nurses is a huge challenge for local hospitals. With this partnership we are bringing together BC’s excellence in training future nurses with our talented nursing professionals to ramp up the workforce pipeline for local medical facilities and better serve our community,” said Heather Van Housen, the Chief Nursing Officer at Adventist Health Kern County.
The aim of the pilot program is to address local nursing shortages and if the program is successful Kern CCD hopes to "replicate the initiative at hospitals, clinics and other healthcare systems throughout the region."
