New Education Partnership Aimed at Reducing Nursing Shortage

With $5 million donation, BAYADA Education partners with Cooper University Health Care and Thomas Edison State University to create extraordinary clinical experience

Today, a unique new partnership launched that is aimed at reducing the nursing shortage in New Jersey. The Thomas Edison State University (TESU) Accelerated BSN BAYADA Scholars Track at Cooper University Health Care (Cooper) was funded by a $5 million donation to BAYADA Education Inc.

The new scholars track is unique in that it will offer students in TESU’s Accelerated BSN program dedicated clinical site experiences at Cooper, a leading academic, tertiary care hospital, and at BAYADA Home Health Care, in addition to employment opportunities at Cooper after graduation. The partnership was organized by BAYADA Education, a new nonprofit organization created by a $5 million donation from Ann and Mark Baiada. Mr. Baiada is the founder and Chairman of BAYADA Home Health Care. The goal of the new partnership is to combat the nursing shortage that is straining an already overburdened health care system.

For aspiring nurses, the TESU Accelerated BSN BAYADA Scholars Track at Cooper offers an entry point to numerous career options, with opportunities for scholarships and the best of both hospital- and home-based clinical education. For New Jersey, the program aims to attract more people into the nursing profession and to prepare them for success in the next generation of medical careers across the health care continuum.

“Today, more than ever, we need nurses who are skilled, compassionate, and prepared. We are honored to partner with BAYADA Education and TESU to create this unique nursing experience where students will learn in an advanced academic clinical setting alongside of some of the nation’s top nurses and physician specialists,” said George E. Norcross III, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Cooper University Health Care.

The United States currently has a significant shortage of 150,000 nurses and that gap is expected to grow every year¹. TESU’s accelerated BSN degree program is a 15-month Bachelor of Science in Nursing designed for adults who have earned a bachelor’s degree and are interested in becoming registered nurses. Recent college graduates and midcareer professionals who want to find meaningful and mission-driven work will have an opportunity to become a nurse in a little over a year.

 “TESU is proud to join BAYADA Education and Cooper University Health Care in directly targeting the nursing shortage. This innovative partnership builds on TESU’s highly successful nursing program and addresses the critical nursing shortage by creating a new seamless pathway for aspiring nurses to excel in their careers,” said Dr. Merodie A. Hancock, Ph.D., President of TESU.

This unique collaborative approach is the first of its kind in nursing education. The students’ clinical experiences will be hosted by Cooper University Health Care, a leading academic health system and home to the region’s only Level I trauma center, and BAYADA Home Health Care, a leading national provider of complex care at home. Cooper has committed to BAYADA Education that students who meet the rigorous academic requirements of the program, pass the nursing licensure exam, and meet standardized employment criteria will receive a conditional job offer from Cooper to begin their nursing career there after graduation. Scholarship opportunities will also make the program affordable to more students.

“I am so happy to see this partnership come to fruition.  Talented and compassionate individuals in our community want to find meaningful and fulfilling work.  At the same time, our community desperately needs more nurses.  This partnership will help solve both societal problems, bringing More Great Nurses into the world,” said Mark Baiada.

About the Innovative Partners:

Thomas Edison State University (TESU) –

When Thomas Edison State University was chartered in 1972, it embraced a radical mission: to reimagine higher education for adults. The challenge was to design a new institution that embraced new approaches to improve access and respond to the needs of working adult students.  TESU became part of a national movement to launch innovative institutions to serve adult learners, transforming the lives of thousands of students while changing the course of higher education.

As TESU moves into its next 50 years of excellence, higher education is once again in need of reinvention. This partnership with BAYADA Education is just one of the ways TESU aims to disrupt the industry. Visit TESU.edu/BSNA to learn more.

Cooper University Health Care –

 Cooper University Health Care, with its MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper and affiliation with Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, is a leading academic health system. Cooper has more than 10,000 team members including nearly 1,600 nurses, more than 950 employed physicians, and more than 550 advanced practice providers. Cooper University Hospital has been recognized as a top-performing regional hospital by U.S. News & World Report’s 2023-2024 Best Hospitals annual survey.

Cooper has revenues of more than $2.2 billion and has an A+ rating from Fitch Ratings. Cooper University Hospital is the only Level I trauma center in South Jersey and the busiest in the region. More than two million patients are served annually at Cooper’s 663-bed flagship hospital, outpatient surgery center, three urgent care centers, and more than 100 ambulatory offices throughout the community. Cooper has been named as one of America’s Best Employers by Forbes for three consecutive years.

The Cooper Health Sciences campus in Camden, New Jersey, is home to Cooper University Hospital, MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper, Children’s Regional Hospital at Cooper, and Cooper Medical School of Rowan University. Visit CooperHealth.org to learn more.

BAYADA Home Health Care –

BAYADA Home Health Care Inc. was founded by J. Mark Baiada in 1975 and provides nursing, rehabilitative, therapeutic, habilitation, behavioral health, hospice, and assistive care services to children, adults, and seniors worldwide. Headquartered in the Greater Philadelphia suburbs of New Jersey, BAYADA is a leading nonprofit home health care provider—with hundreds of locations in the US, as well as Germany, India, Ireland, New Zealand, and South Korea—and the only national provider that offers a full range of home-based specialty care services. Visit BAYADA.com to learn more.

BAYADA Education –

BAYADA Education Inc. was founded to support and grow the nursing profession. Nursing is the most trusted profession in the country, but our country needs more nurses. And people need meaningful, fulfilling work that supports financial stability for them and their families. BAYADA Education organizes and supports nursing programs, engages in research to further nursing education, and advocates for nursing as a profession.  Together, we can bring More Great Nurses to the world. Visit BAYADAEducation.org to learn more.

Sources:

1. U.S. Nursing Shortage Data and Projections:
   1. The US Nursing Shortage: The Gap Could Reach 400K Hospital RN FTEs in 2027 (lek.com)
   2. Registered Nurses : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov)
   3. The nursing shortage in 2023 | McKinsey
   4. Nursing Shortage Fact Sheet (aacnnursing.org)