Chamberlain University has recently launched a home health specialty initiative to address staffing issues in home health and continuing care. The initiative is funded through a $1.2 million grant awarded to the university by the American Nurses Foundation's Reimagining Nursing Initiative.
As the country continues to face a nursing shortage, Chamberlain University is offering nursing students an overview of home health nursing care through a virtual course, "Introduction to Continuing Health (ICH)," developed with the university’s partner BrightStar Care, the home care and medical staffing franchise.
Students who complete and pass the course can spend 96 hours of clinical time at BrightStar Care and other home health partners. The university's partnership with BrightStar Care will continue as the course is piloted through the university's different campuses.
"Nurses are vital contributors to the health and well-being of our communities and providing nursing students broader access to exposure to home health and other specialties will strengthen the pipeline of prepared nurses in critical need areas that they enjoy," Chamberlain University President Karen Cox, PhD, RN, FACHE, FAAN, said in a statement.
"With our focus on home health, we are delighted to work with Chamberlain on this new nursing education program so we can increase the number of qualified home health care nurses who practice evidence-based care," Shelly Sun, founder and CEO of BrightStar Care said in a statement. "We believe strongly in Chamberlain's pilot to create a successful pathway for nursing students to learn this specialty and make an impact on the future of nursing."
The university plans to evaluate the program in 2025 once the pilot ends, developing a playbook to document the model for public availability. It will then be shared with the American Nurses Foundation and other nursing schools to help them replicate the approach.
Jasmyne Ray is the revenue cycle editor at HealthLeaders.