Wiregrass Times

A new State of Alabama program will open doors for select Troy University School of Nursing students to earn money while in school.

The inaugural Nursing Student Apprenticeship Program, a collaboration between the School, the Alabama Office of Apprenticeship and the Alabama Board of Nursing, has placed 28 Bachelor of Science in Nursing students on a two-year apprenticeship program at Flowers Hospital in Dothan and the Baptist Health system.

“This was a very select group of students that was evaluated by the clinical agencies that applied through our program,” said Teresa Law, an assistant professor and the BSN Program Coordinator for the School of Nursing.

The School hosted the student nurses, hospitals, families and representatives from the state agencies at a signing event on Tuesday, Jan. 10 in Hawkins Hall.

“We chose to do this event because these students went through a grueling day of interviews to be selected as student nurse apprentices,” Law said. “We hope it makes our students feel very honored . . . and it sets high bar for them to achieve great things during their apprenticeship time.”

Law said the state recognized the need to help address nursing workforce barriers to nursing students, including the financial barrier created through the traditional practice of clinical rotations that at the students’ expense. On the employer side, the program addresses a critical need for recruiting more nurses to work in Alabama hospitals. For the University, the creation of new clinical partnerships will further enhance student learning.

The newly minted nurse apprentices are second-semester students.

TROY launched its inaugural Nursing Student Apprenticeship Program with 28 students being placed with clinical providers Baptist Health and Flowers Hospital. (TROY photo/ Aliza Chambers) 

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