Health systems of all sizes have worked to drive more efficient staffing and education models. In an era defined by staffing shortages, insufficient undergraduate enrollment growth, and rising student debt, health systems increasingly look to lock in future employees before graduation. Yet, employer solutions have largely remained fragmented between talent acquisition and benefits tools.
Scholars Network was created to help health systems develop novel ways to invest in talent long before an employee’s first day on the job.
Specifically, Scholars Network secures upstream talent pipelines with employer-sponsored loan repayment for students entering the healthcare field, and also supports current employees through extremely cost effective implementation of education benefits. The result is an integrated approach that boosts enrollment in high need areas and strengthens recruitment and retention across each partner hospital’s workforce.
The Scholars Network’s model has been implemented by a diverse range of healthcare providers, ranging from rural health systems to urban safety net hospitals to large academic health systems.
“This program will grow North Carolina’s nursing workforce while reducing the high costs of turnover, contract labor, and onboarding,” added Dr. Jessie Tucker, President and CEO of UNC Health Wayne. “By creating a reliable pipeline of well-prepared nurses, we’re strengthening patient care and ensuring the long-term health of rural hospitals like ours.”
Similarly, Becker’s Hospital Review has covered partnerships with WellSpan Health and Temple University Health System. The Boston Globe reported on the Women & Infants Hospital partnership. The Wall Street Journal and Forbes have highlighted the model as an innovative solution to student debt and healthcare shortages.
Sam Maron, founder of Scholars Network, and Deb Raupers, Executive Vice President and Chief Nurse Executive at The Guthrie Clinic, spoke about the impact of this model on the Becker’s Healthcare Podcast in November. Raupers said, “[We] have been able to increase our recruitment from schools that are participating in these programs…We’re filling all of our slots with increased interest growing steadily. We now see interest from organizations that we might never have worked with in the past…. We have [a] very high acceptance rate, and all of these Scholars accepted into our program have gone on and signed their commitments. And I’m pleased to share that we are at 100% retention one year into the program.”
The Need for This Model Continues to Grow
Across the country, staffing shortages continue to strain hospitals and clinics. The Health Resources and Services Administration reports that the United States is projected to face a six-figure shortage of Registered Nurses by 2037. Further, Becker’s has reported that 85% of healthcare facilities in the United States report shortages of allied healthcare workers.
While some areas of clinical staffing shortages have stabilized, the structural dynamic remains that we have insufficient supply of students pursuing and graduating in key roles, such as respiratory therapy, physical therapy, and medical imaging.
Scholars Network helps to solve this problem by working with their academic partners to boost enrollment. Upon entering the program, a student will commit to working for a health system following their graduation. In exchange, the employer agrees to make monthly payments toward their student loans over the course of the work commitment, typically 3 years. By committing to a healthcare institution early in their academic journey, students can align their training to the needs and culture of the system.
“Scholars Network has helped position West Virginia Wesleyan as a standout choice for prospective students. I recently met with a student who is considering WVWC, and it was clear the program is a significant factor in their decision,” shared Kimberly White, Director, School of Nursing at West Virginia Wesleyan.
Traditional healthcare recruitment and retention efforts often come too late. By the time a role is vacant or an employee is considering leaving, the financial and operational damage is already done. According to the NSI National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report, replacing a single registered nurse often costs between $50,000 and $80,000 when accounting for recruitment, onboarding, training, lost productivity, and temporary staffing. In many cases, that replacement cost rivals the total tuition required to educate a net new nurse.
“I have seen firsthand the challenges our students and graduates face… This innovative program tackles the crisis from both ends — helping students afford nursing school while also ensuring hospitals have the skilled professionals they need,” said Mary Ellen Glasgow, Dean and Professor at Duquesne University’s School of Nursing.
By reducing reliance on agency staffing, limiting costly turnover, and investing directly in future clinicians, partner health systems can redirect millions of dollars toward higher wages, better technology, expanded university capacity, and fully staffed units.
By building upstream talent pipelines with employer-sponsored loan repayment and cost-effective tuition benefits for current employees, Scholars Network has created an integrated approach that both boosts clinical enrollment in areas of needs and strengthens recruitment and retention across the healthcare workforce.
About Scholars Network
Scholars Network, operated by Noodle, partners with health systems, combining clinical and higher education expertise to solve some of healthcare’s biggest challenges: recruitment, retention, and upskilling of talent. Noodle’s dedicated team is there throughout, helping to support each student through their recruitment, enrollment, education, and employment. https://scholars-network.com/
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