The Rutgers School of Nursing-Camden hosted a welcome reception in late August for 10 Cooper University Health Care employees chosen as the recipients of a new, grant-funded scholarship program.
The Rutgers-Camden/Cooper Collaborative for Upward Mobility in Nursing provides baccalaureate education to unlicensed, assistive personnel currently employed at Cooper. It is being funded by a $250,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) through its New Jersey Health Initiatives: New Paths to Professional Nursing program.
“Through this new pipeline program, Rutgers-Camden and Cooper will collaborate to grow a diverse workforce of baccalaureate prepared, registered nurses from historically underrepresented groups that will help us better meet the health care needs of the communities we serve,” says Joanne Robinson, Dean of the Rutgers School of Nursing-Camden.
The collaborative will provide a college preparatory curriculum for health care paraprofessionals who aspire to become baccalaureate nurses. Upon successful completion of the program, students will be admitted to the Rutgers School of Nursing-Camden to begin their pursuit of a bachelor’s degree in nursing.
“The collaboration between Rutgers and Cooper University Health Care, supported by funding from RWJF’s New Jersey Health Initiatives program, provides an incredible opportunity for many of our skilled employees to pursue a nursing career,” says Adrienne Kirby, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cooper University Health Care. “We are grateful to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for understanding the potential of this crossover program.”
Congratulations to the 10 scholarship recipients: Theresa Allen, Emergency Department; Lesliann Baez, NS10; Renee Bekier, OR; Wendy Colindrez, CDU; Shaketa Dixon, NS9; Devan Jerman, ICU/CCU; Holly Kee, Pool; Madeline Oquendo, NS10; Shanta Rembert, Emergency Department; and Jeremy Witcher, PCU/Pavilion.