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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KY (WKRC) — A partnership between Northern Kentucky University and St. Elizabeth Healthcare is helping address the nursing shortage while making it more affordable for students to earn their nursing degree.
The scholarship program, launched in 2024 through a public-private partnership supported by grant funding from the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, provides financial assistance to eligible NKU nursing students in exchange for a commitment to work at St. Elizabeth Healthcare after graduation.
John Paul Crump, an NKU graduate who now works as a registered nurse at St. Elizabeth's Edgewood campus, took advantage of the scholarship opportunity.
"I decided to take up the opportunity. It was pretty easy, nice, and straightforward," Crump said.
The program covers up to two years of tuition for NKU nursing juniors and seniors who are in good academic standing. In return, recipients agree to work for at least one year at St. Elizabeth after graduating.
Crump said the scholarship allowed him to graduate without student loan debt.
"That really helped with any stressors because I worked, and I paid off my entire schooling," Crump said. "I never had to take any loans. The scholarship really helped, and that allowed me more time to, instead of working, focus in school."
NKU Dean of the College of Health and Human Services Gannon Tagher said removing the financial burden helps students concentrate on completing the degree.
"You can focus on your studies, you can focus on graduation, you can focus on passing your boards when you graduate because all those other things are taken care of," Tagher said.
In addition to scholarships, the partnership allows nursing students to work as nursing assistants at St. Elizabeth while they complete their education, giving them hands-on experience before becoming registered nurses.
"I got to learn in class at school, and then I was able to practice it on the floor in this nursing role transition," Crump said.
Current NKU nursing student Savannah Rittenhouse said working has helped prepare her for a career as a registered nurse.
"Being an aide on the floor has really helped you connect to patients and really get that experience that NKU is trying to give you through clinical," Rittenhouse said.
About 20 students participate in the scholarship program each year, according to Brittany Sorrell, director of workforce development at St. Elizabeth Healthcare.
She said grant funding secured in 2024 helped establish the partnership with NKU and ensures a steady pipeline of nurses entering the healthcare system.
"There was grant money in 2024 that allowed for a public-private partnership for us to donate a pretty significant amount to NKU to ensure that we are continuously having a flow of nurses from NKU to our facility," Sorrell said.
New graduates continue receiving mentorship and training throughout their first year as registered nurses.
"We're not in this dire need for nurses like we're seeing maybe other systems," Sorrell said. "We truly feel like that's because we've been strategic about building those pipelines to get nurses here."
