Dr. Rash presented with MHEC Faculty Recognition Award
Published on April 6, 2022
Cecil College Professor and Assistant Director of Nursing, Dr. Rhonda Roxanne Rash is pictured with Cecil College nursing student Jessica Coppola.
NORTH EAST, Md. – To meet the ever-growing demand for nurses in the tri-state region’s healthcare system, ChristianaCare reached out to the region’s nursing schools seeking solutions that are outside the box.
Cecil College Professor and Assistant Director of Nursing, Dr. Rhonda Roxanne Rash, presented a proposal that demonstrated great promise. The pilot program was conducted over Cecil’s winter break in January, producing exceptional results.
“Cecil College’s nursing faculty has been working with ChristianaCare on several projects since the fall semester. One of their initiatives was to get nursing students interested in certain high-need areas at the hospital,” said Dr. Rash.
Dr. Rash’s program was so successful, that she was presented the Nurse Support Program II (NSPII) Nursing Faculty Annual Recognition Award by the Maryland Higher Education Commission. NSPII focuses on expanding the capacity to educate nurses through nursing education programs at Maryland institutions.
Dr. Rash developed an innovative plan by creating a course that nursing students who have completed three semesters in the nursing program, could complete during the winter break. She developed the master syllabus for the two-credit course that requires 90 hours of service. The nursing student who took part in this pilot program shadowed ChristianaCare’s nursing staff in areas of the hospital where there is the greatest need.
“Our partnership with Cecil College focused on establishing programs to provide specialty experiences outside of typical clinical hours with a desired outcome of permanently hiring upon graduation,” said Joan Pirrung, MSN, APRN, ACNS- BC, chief nursing officer at ChristianaCare, Cecil Campus. “A perioperative student nurse extern was a bold and unique move for us and one that proved successful. The staff were excited to share their perioperative knowledge with Jessica Coppola; she was in turn engaged to learn all that she could in a short period of time, and the outcome is a future perioperative nurse who will work at the Cecil Campus.”
In this case, it was in the perioperative unit, where the patient’s needs are met during preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative care. This work commonly includes ward admission, anesthesia, surgery, and recovery.
For this pilot program, ChristianaCare decided to allow for a single nursing student. Cecil College’s Jessica Coppola completed the application and was accepted into the course. ChristianaCare covered all course costs and materials for Coppola, who excelled at every aspect of the program.
“The goal was to get the nursing student into the various areas of the hospital that had the greatest need. Then, if it proved a good fit at the end of the course, the student would be offered an extern position and a job upon completing their nursing program and passing the NCLEX-RN exam,” said Dr. Rash. “They loved Jessica and have offered her a position upon passing her national nursing exam.”
ChristianaCare, which operates hospitals in Elkton, Newark, and Wilmington, has decided to expand this course offering next year to other hospital areas and admit several nursing students. Applicants must have completed their third semester of Cecil’s nursing program and have passed a calculation exam. They will be required to perform 90 hours of service, and complete two journals about their experience. Since the nursing program is so challenging, this course is listed as Clinical Practicum Experience (CPE) so as not to interfere with academic requirements.
The nursing faculty’s work with ChristianaCare aligns with Cecil College’s mission of providing a supportive learning environment that focuses on innovation, student success, academic progress, and workforce development. Their actions are transforming the lives of the students and enriching the community.