Project Summary

Facing a rising demand for health care, a severe shortage of trained nursing staff, and a lack of training programs to fill those vacancies, Owensboro Medical Health System and Owensboro Community & Technical College designed OCTC@OMHS, an innovative nursing degree program for frontline workers. Workers targeted for training include nurse aides, pharmacy technicians, unit clerks, medical receptionists, patient care representatives, and counselors.

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“I could not think of a better way to go through a nursing program than with coworkers
who each had a different area of knowledge from being employed at the hospital.
The OCTC@OMHS program is a perfect fit in my life. Not only have I been able to pursue
a career in nursing, but also I have been able to maintain my full-time employment.”
—Christy Bratcher, RN, Owensboro Medical Health System
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OCTC@OMHS compresses the length and supplements the curriculum of the college’s part-time nursing degree program to accommodate the work schedules and skill deficits of frontline workers in the hospital system. Frontline staff in OCTC@OMHS can continue working full time and still attain an Associate’s Degree in Nursing in three years. They take two to three semesters of general courses, depending on their academic backgrounds and basic educational levels as assessed when entering the program. Then they take two semesters of nursing courses, followed by a year or more of technical training in a nursing practicum. Several courses are offered at the hospital or online.

The hospital reimburses students for tuition and allows them four hours per week of paid educational release time to attend classes or, when class is not in session, to study and review material. Students also receive intensive coaching and case management to identify academic and life barriers that might interrupt progress toward degrees. In addition, after determining that many workers had weak math skills, college and hospital staff collaborated to “contextualize” an introductory math course around health care concepts relevant to workers’ job experiences.

Retention rates in OCTC@OMHS have ranged from 75 percent to 89 percent, comparable to or exceeding national retention rates in nursing programs, despite the barriers that OMHS’s entry-level workers face. Seventy-five percent of all enrollees are expected to earn an RN credential.

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“The OCTC@OMHS program that has allowed me to pursue my Associate’s Degree
in Nursing has broadened my horizons in many ways. My knowledge of the human body
and physiological systems has expanded, and this knowledge will open multiple options for my
nursing career in the future. In these economic times, I can think of no better ‘insurance’ for my
financial future than attaining a degree in a health profession.”
—Debbie Kennedy, RN, Owensboro Medical Health System
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Training Outcomes

  • 75 workers enrolled in the program.
  • 65 workers obtained a certified nursing assistant certification.
  • 23 workers obtained Associate’s degrees; another 15 are expected to graduate by the end of 2010.

Benefits to Frontline Employees

  • Increased confidence in performing job tasks
  • Increased ability to work across departments and handle new situations
  • Higher self-esteem, self-worth, and job satisfaction
  • Doubled earnings on average after receiving an Associate’s Degree in Nursing and obtaining a job as a registered nurse

Benefits to Employers

  • Addressing shortages in nursing positions
  • Hiring registered nurses who are familiar with the medical center’s organizational culture

Changes to Institutional Practice

  • Through an agreement with OMHS, OCTC does not mail tuition bills until the end of each semester, after workers have completed classes. This benefit is available to all frontline workers at OMHS.
  • After being approached by the OCTC Jobs to Careers team, the Kentucky Board of Nursing agreed to allow alternative methods for delivering nursing degree curricula (e.g., video streaming, work-based learning, online).