Since its inception in 2001, dozens of nurses have benefited from the Partnership for Nursing Opportunities program, which allows graduates of Delhi's one-year practical nursing certificate program to seek immediate employment at Bassett and continue their education. Students complete their associate nursing degree at Delhi and join Bassett as full-time registered nurses. Many then proceed to earn a bachelor's degree from Hartwick College through the Partnership program, which pays tuition in exchange for employment post graduation. Nurses can work at Bassett and receive on-site nursing instruction by SUNY Delhi and Hartwick faculty at Bassett.

In recent years, however, staff shortages and vacancies at the colleges and Bassett created some challenges. "We had to find a way to support both the college faculty and the staff nurses who teach students at the bedside," explains Clinical Nurse Specialist and Manager of Nursing Education Martha Twichell, R.N., M.S., who is responsible for managing the Scriven grant Clinical Adjunct Faculty program for Bassett.

Funding by the grant allows five experienced Bassett registered nurses (Joanne Kosciusko, R.N.; Celia Oxley, R.N.; Nathan Feldman, R.N., Mathew Johnson, R.N.; and Tassha Rathbone, R.N.), to work as RN Clinical Adjunct Nursing Faculty members. Joanne Kosciusko commented, "Along with their college professors, I work with four or five nursing students to help them see the bigger picture, how to convert their knowledge into practice. We show them how to integrate everything they are learning in the classroom into life experience."

"The Clinical Adjunct Faculty program augments the abilities of the nursing faculty members with experienced staff nurse faculty members," said Jeanne-Marie Havener, Ph.D., R.N., chair of the Nursing Department at Hartwick College. "The nursing student will gain additional learning opportunities and patients will receive timely and efficient care. It's a win-win for everyone."

Mary Pat Lewis, Ph.D., R.N., department chair of Nursing and Allied Health at SUNY Delhi, commented, "The nursing colleges have always worked closely with Bassett, but this new model, made possible by the Scriven Foundation grant, allows us to take our collaboration to a new level."

The grant was awarded for a two-year period by the Scriven Foundation, part of the Clark Foundation, which supports Cooperstown-area cultural and social service organizations.

Bassett Healthcare

Bassett Healthcare is a member of the New York-Presbyterian Healthcare System and a leading provider of health services in the central New York region, offering quality primary and specialty care services targeted to address this region's health care needs.

For more information about Bassett, visit www.bassett.org.