UPMC Hamot announces new school of nursing

The hospital's latest in a long line of exciting announcements.

News of the establishment of UPMC Jameson School of Nursing at UPMC Hamot is reverberating throughout the community. This brand new institute is the result of a partnership between UPMC Hamot, UPMC Jameson, Hamot Health Foundation, and Gannon University.

A $250,000 pledge from UPMC Hamot Aid Society to support the school’s launch demonstrates the organization’s tremendous heart and passion for medical education. A fundraising and volunteer arm of Hamot Health Foundation, UPMC Hamot Aid Society is fully committed to the project.

One of the greatest challenges facing health care today is a serious nursing shortage. The effects are felt globally, nationally, and locally. Upwards of 1 million nurses are estimated to be needed throughout the world now. Moreover, the shortage is swelling. To switch lanes from shortage to stabilized, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a need for an additional 11 million nurses to this work force.

Jim Donnelly should know. As chief nursing officer at UPMC Hamot, he is responsible for sustaining a patient care environment that is second to none. Trained nurses with capacity for professional growth are a key ingredient in this equation. UPMC Jameson School of Nursing at UPMC Hamot boasts a pipeline effect that will support and protect the hospital’s nursing quota into the future.

UPMC Hamot will provide a setting for clinical training as well as the possibility of gaining employment in a supportive role before graduation. The school will pump a steady annual stream of program graduates into the community. Trained registered nurse graduates will fill nurse vacancies at UPMC Hamot and other health care settings. From there, students have the option of completing a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Gannon University.

But there’s more.

Blueprints for the School of Nursing project also reveal plans to generate hope and knock out disparity. An emphasis on accessibility to education is the preferred mechanism. With affordable tuition and available financial aid, including scholarships, those who didn’t have the means to dream of a health care career are daring to reimagine their lives. Following the announcement, David Gibbons, president of UPMC Hamot, heard the buzz almost immediately inside and outside the hospital. Many wondered out loud with him. Could this be my future?