Nursing

News spotlight: Prodigy program fast tracks nurses from the classroom to the hospital

Nurse Manager Weekly, October 12, 2009

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Texas Health Resources, a large nonprofit health system primarily operating in north Texas, has developed a program that targets high school students interested in a nursing or allied healthcare career and helps them reach their goals faster. The program is offered to 25 high school graduates and involves the 14 hospitals operated by Texas Health Resources.

The Youth Prodigy Program gives students paid summer training and part-time work while they are in school, while also covering their tuition, fees, books, and other supplies. It is aimed at students who want to obtain an associate degree before a bachelor?s degree. When students finish the program, they are guaranteed a job in the system.

The program allows Texas Health Resources to recruit nurses within the state, rather than looking elsewhere in the country, and helps with their nursing shortage. By involving Texas students right out of high school, it reduces costs for the organization. In an official statement to 33 News, Human Resource Vice President Bonnie Bell says the normal cost to recruit a nurse from out of state is anywhere from $40,000 to $50,000. However, by using the Prodigy Program and recruiting early, the cost is only $20,000.

Editor's note: To read more on the program, please visit Texas Health's Web page.



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