Universal Health is pleased to unveil a partnership to provide clinical hours for graduate students enrolled in Radford University’s Master of Science in Nursing-Family Nurse Practitioner program (MSN, FNP). For nurse practitioners needing geriatric clinical hours, the program will seek convenient opportunities in Universal Health locations across Virginia.
Radford’s Clinical Resource Coordinator for the MSN-FNP program, Peyton Gadjelov, believes the partnership will alleviate the ongoing challenges of finding clinical hours and make the university a more competitive choice for nursing school applicants. “Unlike Radford, many schools don’t offer assistance with securing clinical hours,” she said. “And because Universal Health has so many locations throughout the state, we can place students near their homes to save them hours of commuting time.”
The relationship could also offer Universal Health a steady stream of well-trained candidates for hire. “Upon their graduation and licensure, we would love to offer successful program participants a position within our own practice,” said Joseph Park, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development.
Universal Health President Alfonso Brochero, MD, BCIM, CMD, said the program will help both students and providers. He stated, “Getting nurse practitioners trained in the post-acute and long-term care environment will supply incoming prospective providers with access to intimate knowledge of industry regulations and capabilities, slowly but surely improving our industry’s clinical standards and contributing to a provider’s success.”
Both Universal Health and Radford University School of Nursing agree the program has positive long-term implications for the future. Considering the growing needs of geriatric healthcare, the partnership will benefit all involved by educating future healthcare providers to fill the workforce needs of geriatric’s advanced care providers.
“We are so very pleased to be partnering with Universal Health,” added Radford’s Interim Program Coordinator, Dr. Judy Jenks, DNP, FNP-BC. “The learning opportunities will be invaluable for Nurse Practitioner students transitioning to care for similar patients in the public sector upon graduation.”
Peyton Gadjelov, Radford University’s Clinical Resource Coordinator for the MSN-FNP program.