Nursing

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Schoolcraft College and Michigan’s largest health care system have a new agreement that will aid in the development of nurses ready to join the front lines of the health care industry.

The College and Corewell Health have teamed up to create the Corewell Health RN Scholarship Program, which will provide scholarships to 20 Schoolcraft College nursing students as well as offer guaranteed job placement at a local Corewell Health facility in southeast Michigan. Students in the program, which begins this fall, will receive up to $8,500 from the Schoolcraft College Foundation to use on tuition, books and other educational expenses during the second year of their RN nursing program.

Those who receive the scholarship will then agree to work at a Corewell Health hospital in southeast Michigan for at least two years after graduation. Graduates will also need to pass the NCLEX examination for licensure.

“It’s a great opportunity to not only have assistance with their tuition while at Schoolcraft, but to place them after graduation at a local hospital across metro Detroit, bringing their talents to the health care industry where they’re badly needed,” said Dr. Glenn Cerny, president of Schoolcraft College. “We’re grateful for the opportunity that Corewell is bringing to the Schoolcraft family.”

group photo of administrators behind Schoolcraft College table
Representatives from Schoolcraft College and Corewell Health at the signing for the creation of the Corewell Health RN Scholarship Program. The program will provide scholarships to 20 students, who will be placed to work in a Corewell Health hospital upon graduation.

Corewell Health — which has hospitals in Farmington Hills, Wayne, Royal Oak, Troy, Dearborn, Trenton, Taylor and Grosse Pointe — is excited to bring these students into its facilities, said Nancy Susick, RN, Chief Operating Officer, Acute & Post-Acute Care, Corewell Health East. She said the hope is that graduates will work longer than the required two years as a part of the scholarship agreement.

“We’re hoping it will be much longer than that, because we have lots of great career paths for our nurses,” she said. “Registered nurses, as everyone knows, are just vital to our health care and more in demand than ever before. Corewell Health is very honored to be able to be a part of educating and certainly employing the next generation of health care providers.”

The agreement — which will award 20 scholarships to students in the second year of their nursing program — was signed during an event July 13 in the Health Sciences Center at Schoolcraft College.

Both Cerny and Susick said they look forward to the two institutions working together in the future, with Susick saying they have plenty more ideas for partnerships.

“You’ve been wonderful to work with and to create this partnership,” Susick said to Cerny at the ceremony. “And just so you know, there’s going to be many, many more partnerships and many other things we’d like to do with Schoolcraft College.”

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Nursing students were the latest to benefit from interactive event

Being smart and talented used to be enough in business. In today’s climate, defined by round-the-clock challenges, multicultural workplaces and team members who might be located off-site or even around the world, those qualities are just the start, the bare minimum.

In addition to the academic rigor and hands-on training that community colleges excel at, companies today are hungry for entry-level employees who possess the critical skills to work effectively in a fast-paced, high-pressure global business environment.

Students attentive in a classroom setting
Nursing students engage during a Reality Ready® symposium.

Schoolcraft College proactively worked with dozens of area businesses, many of which have global reach, to develop curriculum that addressed this glaring and growing need.

The result: Reality Ready®, an initiative that helps Schoolcraft students win in the workforce. Through an intensive, interactive all-day program, students come away equipped with intellectual and behavioral skills that result in well-rounded individuals who employers are seeking.

The College continues to make Reality Ready® available to more Schoolcraft College students. During the week of October 4, students from the College’s acclaimed Nursing program attended symposiums. Dr. Debra Amaro, Nurse Educator, served as Facilitator.

“The presentation helped with learning new ways of communicating and reflecting on yourself before you communicate with others,” said student Latesia Anderson-Wigner, who has a goal of being a nurse in the field of mental health. “In my area of nursing, my patients can be difficult and angry for reasons outside themselves, so what I’ve learned will help me navigate those situations.”

Reality Ready® boosts proficiency in four key areas:

  • Emotional Intelligence: IQ isn’t the only thing candidates get assessed by in the real world – EI is equally important. EI demonstrates the capacity to be aware of, control and express one’s emotions and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically.  
  • Conflict Resolution: An informal or formal process that two or more parties use to find a peaceful solution to their dispute through key points of negotiation arbitration and conflict avoidance.
  • Professional and Personal Communication: The oral, written, visual and digital forms of receiving and delivering information in the context of a workplace as well as personally. Acquiring nonverbal communication skills and the ability to have clear and concise conversations.
  • Networking and Professionalism: The cultivation of productive relationships for employment or business. In addition, exhibiting characteristics that can apply to virtually any type of business, including exuding competency, reliability, proper appearance any other qualities.

“The presentation helped with learning new ways of communicating and reflecting on yourself before you communicate with others.” 

Schoolcraft College student Latesia Anderson-Wigner

Building on Core Abilities

The areas presented in Reality Ready® mirror and build upon the eight Core Abilities established by Schoolcraft College. The Core Abilities are broad outcomes or skills that every graduate of Schoolcraft College is expected to achieve. From a practical standpoint, these universal skills are transferable from one job to the next. 

Here’s how Reality Ready® modules connect to Core Abilities:

  • Emotional Intelligence connects to Social and Cultural Awareness
  • Conflict Resolution connects to Act Responsibly
  • Professional and Personal Communication connects to Communicate Effectively
  • Networking and Professionalism connects to Manage Information

How Reality Ready® works: Putting theory into practice

Schoolcraft College has addressed the need for an engaging and practical training event for students of the college by creating a one-day symposium led by a dynamic, diverse group of professionals. This approach will create an environment for attendees to attain some sensible “real world” skills that will benefit them in the workplace and provide confidence as they pursue the next chapter in their lives – obtaining a job, getting accepted into a four-year institution, being selected for an important internship and more.

An interactive environment of table teams drives much of the learning. This approach allows a more tailored effect for the students in how they learn because each table had a 1:5 ratio. In real time, the table coach assessed if the students understood the content, provided clarity and coached them how to apply the skills.