A win-win for TU Nursing and area health care systems

By Megan Bradshaw on November 3, 2017

The Towson University Department of Nursing received a $1.2 million grant from the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission during the summer of 2017 to set up the Collaborative Partnership Program (CaPP) to strengthen the relationship between TU and five area health care systems. 

“This award will allow us to expand our options of excellent clinical experiences for students, while helping to meet the workforce needs of our clinical partners in Maryland,” said Nursing Department Chair Hayley Mark, Ph.D.

Led by a full-time clinical partner liaison, the program aims to solidify the connection between academia and practice. Project leaders — including Mark and clinical associate professor Regina Twigg, DNP — will work with Johns Hopkins Hospital, University of Maryland Hospital, Howard County Hospital, Sinai Hospital and University of Maryland St. Joseph’s Medical Center to provide additional experiences at clinical sites to TU students to prepare them for their first nurse positions after graduation. 

The goal of the program is to place approximately 185 TU nursing graduates directly into Maryland hospitals and health care systems. 

“Building these collaborations to provide clinical experiences for our nursing students enhances their education as well as their future employment success,” said College of Health Professions Dean Lisa Ann Plowfield, Ph.D., RN. “The clinical partners that have joined Drs. Mark and Twigg have indicated a strong desire to connect with students and recruit them onto their nursing staffs. 

“Being able to retain new nurses in the workforce is critical to meeting our health care delivery needs; this type of early professional development can only enhance new nurse retention. I am pleased the Department of Nursing continues to develop strategies for greater success of our nursing students and graduates.” 

The College of Health Professions has the largest health professions enrollment and second-highest graduate rate in the University System of Maryland. Its graduates make up 21 percent of Maryland’s health care professionals.

This story is one of several related to President Kim Schatzel's priorities for Towson University: TU Matters to Maryland.