First cohort of nursing students commit to CHI through Pathway Program

CHI St. Vincent Clinical Educator Kelly Callahan, back left, hands out contracts to NPC nursing students including Lisa Lingo, left with hand up, Ashley Allison, Crystal McKinney and Madison Hair Thursday, January 17, 2019. the students will work for CHI upon graduation from NPC. (The Sentinel-Record/Richard Rasmussen)
CHI St. Vincent Clinical Educator Kelly Callahan, back left, hands out contracts to NPC nursing students including Lisa Lingo, left with hand up, Ashley Allison, Crystal McKinney and Madison Hair Thursday, January 17, 2019. the students will work for CHI upon graduation from NPC. (The Sentinel-Record/Richard Rasmussen)

CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs signed 10 National Park College nursing students to the CHI St. Vincent Pathway Program Thursday.

Kelly Callahan, clinical educator and Nisa Trenthem, RN residency program manager, welcomed the cohort of first-year registered nursing students, who were selected based on their academic performance, essays and desire to remain in Hot Springs and work for CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs.

The 10 students selected include Ashley Allison, Carmelita Chavez, Crystal Sibley, Kacee Young, Ben Valentine, Crystal McKinney, Crystal Gauldin, Madison Hair, Lisa Lingo and Deseray Yelverton. They will graduate in May 2020.

Students selected for the Pathway Program commit to work as registered nurses at CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs for two years upon completion of their respective coursework and licensure. The hospital provides a financial aid package that covers the cost of tuition and fees for qualified applicants for four semesters, up to $5,000.

"Our Pathway Program is a memorandum of understanding with the college that we will partner with them to bring graduates to our hospital -- preferably our Hot Springs campus -- and they will have to sign a contract where we pay a portion of their tuition, assisting them with their tuition, and the school also pays a portion, and they serve as a nurse in our facility for two years," Trenthem said.

According to a news release, the Pathway Program was part of a partnership announced in September 2017 with the goal of training additional nurses to fill the shortage in the hospital's pipeline. CHI St. Vincent committed to a three-year total investment of $1.6 million to provide financial assistance to students enrolled in NPC's registered nursing program and Henderson State University's Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. In addition, CHI St. Vincent provided financial support to equip a state-of-the-art clinical simulation lab at NPC.

Janice Ivers, dean of nursing and health sciences, said the partnership with CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs has been outstanding.

"It's an awesome thing because CHI is investing in their education so what better way to show them an appreciation for that as far as I'm concerned as the dean of nursing than to give them our quality, top-notch students to work at their facility," she said. "It's a win-win because they'll go out and they'll be proud that they work at CHI and they'll be proud that they got their education at National Park College."

Trenthem said the feeling has been mutual.

"We've had great graduates come out of National Park that have come to our hospital in the past, and they are prepared, ready to go, and Janice has been such a good partner for us from way back," she said. "We're excited to have this cohort come up and the number is great. We're excited to have this many."

Local on 01/20/2019

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