KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee Medical Center could soon have a new pipeline of nursing graduates from UT's College of Nursing, from a new program meant to help students graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing after 15 months of studying.
The program is called the Nursing Scholars Program, and the first class is expected to graduate in the fall of 2024. According to a release from UT, the program is expected to graduate around 100 additional nurses per year when it reaches capacity.
As part of the program, students can learn and train at the UT Medical Center. According to a release, the Nursing Scholars Program has the same accreditation standards as the college's existing programs.
“Through this innovative new program, our nursing students will graduate with the skills and experience they need to make an immediate impact for their patients and their community,” said UT Knoxville Chancellor Donde Plowman. in the release.
UT Medical Center gives students in the program a scholarship to cover the cost of tuition, as long as they commit to working with the hospital for three years following graduation.
Classes in the program are taught by faculty in the College of Nursing, whose positions are funded by UT Medical Center, according to the release.
The program is meant to help address a gap in the healthcare workforce, due to burnout and other factors, according to the release. They said that the total number of registered nurses in the U.S. decreased by more than 100,000 from 2020 to 2021 — the largest drop over the past four decades.