The Tennessee Board of Nursing has approved nurse apprenticeship as a pathway to nursing. The Tennessee Hospital Association (THA) led this effort with guidance from a taskforce of governmental, educational, and hospital stakeholders.
THA will be registering the work completed by this taskforce as a state-wide program to be used by employers and hospitals for LPN and RN students. Apprenticeship opens the door to the nursing profession for aspiring nurses who will now be able to complete their nursing education while gaining hands-on, paid experience.
Nursing leaders are excited about the apprenticeship program’s impact on Tennessee’s nursing workforce. Max Tunstill, Chief Nursing Officer of Lincoln Health, shares proven outcomes, “While working in Alabama, the nurse apprenticeship significantly increased our pipeline of competent, entry-level nurses. The nursing student is assigned a mentor who works one-on-one with [them] […] At the end of the program, the student graduates with real-world experience and critical thinking skills.”
The apprenticeship model benefits both healthcare employers and new nurses. Employers can develop their future employees while those new nurses obtain valuable experience with a licensed mentor in their future workplace. This workforce model decreases the stress of transitioning to practice, which can help prevent burnout.
It also creates “opportunities for greater partnership and collaboration between Tennessee healthcare organizations and academic institutions, potentially decreasing the gap in transition to practice,” shares Dr. Elizabeth Yorks, RN Practice Specialist at Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford.
THA looks forward to supporting hospitals in implementing the apprenticeship model and utilizing this innovative approach to recruit more nurses into the workforce.
