The Jersey City Independent "

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Hudson County Community College (HCCC) says it, New Jersey City University (NJCU) and the Bayonne Medical Center and Christ Hospital Schools of Nursing will begin offering a new “Joint Admissions Program” to enable students to complete both associate’s and bachelor’s degree programs in nursing in four years.

Under the program, students would be admitted to HCCC, where they’d spend the first two years completing an associate’s degree. If that is successful, students would be ensured entrance into NJCU’s nursing program as full-standing juniors, eliminating some of the bureaucratic overlap that often exists for transfers from community to four-year institutions. While studying at HCCC, students in the program would also have full access to NJCU financial-aid and academic counselors.

HCCC president Dr. Glen Gabert says the reasoning behind the program is pretty simple: to get more nurses — particularly those that could eventually take on leadership roles — out in the workforce. According to a recent federal report, nearly 50,000 qualified applicants were turned away from nursing school programs last year, in part because there wasn’t enough faculty.

“The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services describes the shortage of nurses as ‘enormous.’ It’s predicted that within the next five to 10 years there will be a shortfall in our country of 250,000 to 400,000 registered nurses who hold bachelor’s degrees,” Gabert says in a statement. “We are proud to work in partnership with New Jersey City University, and with the Bayonne Medical Center and Christ Hospital Schools of Nursing to help ease this community crisis.”

A signing to memorialize the agreement is set for Friday, May 21 at the HCCC Culinary Arts Institute/Conference Center. For more info on the new program, call 201-360-4265.