Omaha, Neb.-based CHI Health will now pay for employees or friends and family of employees to attend two years of nursing school at online university Purdue Global, NBC affiliate KPVI reported Sept. 1.
"We know cost is often a barrier to education," Tim Plante, chief nursing officer of CHI Health, said in a news release shared with KPVI. "By paying the way for these students, we are giving them the opportunity to start a fulfilling career while also ensuring we have a strong future workforce."
The program, "Grown Our Own Nurses," will be held mostly online or at a Lincoln, Neb.-based hospital for clinical training. It was designed to create a recruitment pipeline to alleviate the nationwide nursing shortage.
A study from the Status of the Nebraska Health Care Workforce revealed the state can expect a shortage of 5,435 nurses by 2025.