Duke Health, Durham Tech partner to address nursing shortage
Duke Health and Durham Technical Community College have partnered with the goal of easing the nursing shortages across the state and throughout the U.S.
The Academic Practice Partnership is expected to help students, employers and Durham residents who need health care.
About 100,00 nurses left the profession during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. However, the registered nurse workforce is expected to grow by 6% in the next decade, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ employment projections.
Theresa Adusei is earning an associate degree in nursing from Durham Technical Community College.
“To be close to the patient one on one, doing care at the bedside, that made me go into nursing,” Adusei said. “I just want to help people."
The Academic Practice Partnership is expected to streamline the education and employment journey for students like Adusei and Jeymy Rivas, who is earning her degree to become a registered nurse.
“I just like helping people and making them feel better,” Rivas said.
The partnership has three goals:
- Expand Durham Tech’s capacity by increasing enrollment and student retention
- Implement new programs and strengthen nursing employment pathways to Duke Health
- Promote equity and hiring diversity and enhance employee growth
As part of the new partnership, clinical staff from Duke Health will serve as Durham Tech faculty.
“Having more faculty will let the clinical groups maybe be a bit smaller, so you have more interaction with your clinical instructors,” Rivas said.
Students are expected to benefit from new opportunities for job shadowing, mentorships and career exploration.
For example, former Durham Tech student Juan Besa moved up from a surgical attendant to a surgical technician.
In this partnership, Duke Health will provide new equipment such as ventilators and an anesthesia machine.
Durham Tech will also create a new role specifically to connect Duke Health employees interested in taking classes at the college.
