New Regional Partnership Aims to Strengthen Local Health Care Delivery
Georgetown University, Washington Hospital Center Team Up On Nursing Workforce

Washington, D.C. (March 18, 2008)--Washington Hospital Center and Georgetown University Medical Center, two major health care organizations in the nation’s capital, announced today that they will forge an initial $2 million partnership to increase the nursing workforce in the Washington region at a time when a nursing shortage looms throughout the United States.

By 2010, according to statistics from the federal government’s Health Resources and Services Administration, the District of Columbia is projected to have a shortage of 3,000 full-time RNs.

Washington Hospital Center--a member of MedStar Health--and the Department of Nursing at Georgetown University School of Nursing & Health Studies--a part of Georgetown University Medical Center--teamed up to launch a new accelerated 16-month scholarship program, which aims to graduate 28 new BSN nurses.

As part of the new joint partnership, individuals must apply and be accepted to Georgetown University’s accelerated “second-degree” nursing program, which offers college graduates with a bachelor’s degree or higher in another field the opportunity to earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing in 16 months. The new program includes:

• An 80 percent tuition scholarship.
• A three-year nursing position at Washington Hospital Center.

(Note: Qualified graduates will be expected to make a three-year employment commitment to the Hospital Center upon successful completion of the program and passage of the NCLEX-RN, the national licensure exam for registered nurses.)

“This partnership is just one example of how two of the region’s largest health care organizations can collaborate to improve health care in our community by addressing the nursing shortage in the Washington metropolitan region,” said Howard Federoff, M.D., Ph.D., executive vice president for health sciences at Georgetown University Medical Center.

“This hospital-university partnership will provide a brand new avenue for recruitment of nurses who have already received academic degrees in other fields,” said James F. Caldas, president of Washington Hospital Center. “This will enhance the diversity, academic background, and skill-set among our nursing staff. It will definitely set our nursing program apart from many others and ultimately benefit the long-term supply of nurses to serve our region.”

Along with the inaugural cohort of 28 nurses, the health care organizations plan to expand the partnership to graduate 200 additional new nurses in the coming years. As part of that larger effort, the partnership will also build a collaborative Institute for Nursing Innovation and Research. The institute will conduct nursing research on patient safety and quality, clinical practice, and translational nursing science. The institute will also develop and evaluate a nurse retention program aimed at keeping qualified nurses in the Washington area.

“This is the perfect partnership for Washington Hospital Center and Georgetown University School of Nursing & Health Studies,” said Elizabeth Wykpisz, RN, MSN, MBA, interim chief nursing officer at Washington Hospital Center. “This represents a key element in the Hospital Center’s strategic vision as we go forward. We are honored to partner with them to offer the degreed student-nurse a tremendous fast-track educational experience in the exceptional learning environment of Washington Hospital Center.”

“This partnership establishes an important academic-clinical alliance between two leading institutions in nursing,” said Michael Relf, Ph.D., RN, chair of the Department of Nursing at Georgetown. “As a result, the next generation of nurse leaders will be prepared to provide evidence-based, culturally relevant patient care.”

“Simultaneously, through the jointly administered Institute for Nursing Innovation and Research, we can address the critical issues of nursing’s contribution to clinical outcomes, patient safety, quality, and nurse retention, which will positively impact the health of those in the region,” Relf said.

Georgetown’s Department of Nursing is home to a strong educational program in science and technology that trains a front-line workforce. The department also has high pass rates for the NCLEX-RN, the national licensure exam for registered nurses. Since December 2002, 97 percent of undergraduate nursing alumni from Georgetown have passed the NCLEX-RN on their first attempt.

Prospective applicants should visit nursing.georgetown.edu/whc, e-mail nursingscholarship@georgetown.edu, or call toll-free at (877) RN-IN-DC1 or (877) 764-6321.