[V]ermont Technical College, the Community College of Vermont and Northwestern Medical Center are partnering to create an expanded nursing program in a new facility in downtown St. Albans.
The two state colleges and health provider are planning to occupy two floors in soon-to-be built mixed-used building on the corner of Congress and Main streets being developed by the Burlington developer Nedde Real Estate. The building is expected to be ready by the fall of 2020.
Vermont Tech’s nursing programs at the new location will include up to 18 practical nursing and 27 associate degree seats, according to hospital officials. Graduates will be eligible to become licensed practical nurses or registered nurses.
CCV currently has an academic center on Main Street in St. Albans. College officials plan to move the school’s programming over to the new facility, including its Allied Health Certificate program, which serves as a feeder into Vermont Tech’s nursing degrees.
“We are poised and ready to offer more of those courses, and our new facility will allow us to do that. And it will also allow us to expand our lab and science courses,” said CCV president Joyce Judy.
The facility will include a simulation lab that will serve the nurse education programs as well as health providers. NMC will also relocate its Lifestyle Medicine services and RiseVT outreach to the building to provide health coaching, healthy meal prep classes, a demonstration kitchen, exercise classes, and flexible spaces for community use.
Vermont has a nursing shortage, and the problem looks likely to continue getting worse. A recent survey of providers projects the state could have nearly 4,000 vacancies by the spring of 2020.
Northwestern hopes to be able to recruit about 10 graduates from the program on an annual basis to help plug the hospital’s acute need for more nurses, according to documents it filed with the Green Mountain Care board.
“With some commitment level to tuition support, we believe that we can greatly reduce our turnover,” said Northwestern CEO Jill Berry Bowen.
