New initiative at The W to produce career-ready nurses for Baptist Golden Triangle
A new initiative at Mississippi University for Women (The W) is poised to address the growing demand for skilled nurses in the region by offering registered nursing students the opportunity to work directly with seasoned professional nurses at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle.
“We are excited to work with Baptist Golden Triangle on this collaborative clinical partnership,” said Dr. Brandy Larmon, dean of The W’s Bill & Jo-Ann Vandergriff College of Nursing and Health Sciences. “To be the first university in the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning system to coordinate students’ learning in such an innovative way that will benefit not only our students but also our area hospital is truly remarkable. We know there is so much more to come from this investment, and we look forward to advancing nursing career opportunities in Columbus.”
Through the Mississippi Earn Program, associate nursing students at The W will have the opportunity to become student nurse residents at Baptist Golden Triangle. Each student selected for the program will gain clinical credit and income while working with a Baptist-designated clinical coach.
“We believe having a one-on-one clinical experience with our RN coach will help student nurse residents experience our culture and find their place within our team as they deliver expert patient care,” said Alicia Grant, chief nursing officer for Baptist Golden Triangle.
The clinical coach will serve as a role model and mentor and will provide guidance, support and direct supervision for W students during their training.
“We will select two students from our existing nurse extern program with The W for this new program,” said Grant. “The W will select students who exhibit motivation and competency of skills and practice.”
In turn, the hospital will be selective when picking a coach for each nurse resident.
“We want to select someone who is flexible and has the desire to educate,” said Grant. “The coach will advocate for these students and help them prepare for nursing state board exams. To be successful, coaches must have the desire to meet nurse residents’ scheduling needs and continue mentoring them after they graduate.”
By the time students graduate, they will have completed more than 970 hours of hospital clinical practice. After graduation, nursing students will join Baptist Golden Triangle as a full-time employee for the remaining 1,000 hours of the program, under the guidance of a hospital mentor.
“We are thrilled to partner with Baptist to offer an innovative apprenticeship program that gives our nursing students hands-on clinical experience and financial support, helping them transition smoothly into professional practice,” said Mary Helen Ruffin, chair of the Associate of Science in Nursing program at The W. “This program is a powerful motivator for students and enhances our ability to recruit and retain future nurses.”
When compared to the traditional clinical rotation, the apprenticeship style program will allow student nurses to experience treating a variety of patients and illnesses and learn how seasoned nurses prioritize and delegate care while interacting with a multidisciplinary team of medical staff to an assigned group of patients. This is a change from the traditional student assignment of one or two patients at a time.
“This partnership will also allow students the opportunity to get a feel for the area and type of patients they would prefer to work with after graduation,” said Grant. “Proper placement after graduation is key to retention and maintaining their passion for nursing.”
More than 98% of students who completed The W’s registered nursing programs in spring 2024 obtained licenses in Mississippi, and 83% of the graduates accepted a position within the state.
The Vandergriff College of Nursing and Health Sciences is home to more than 900 students and is composed of the Department of Associate of Science in Nursing, the Department of Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program, the Department of Graduate Nursing, the Department of Health and Kinesiology and the Department of Speech-Language Pathology.
To learn more about The W’s Vandergriff College of Nursing and Health Sciences, please visit www.muw.edu/nhs/.
With 323 beds, Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle is one of the largest regional hospitals affiliated with Baptist Memorial Health Care. More than 100 physicians and surgeons, representing almost every medical specialty, practice at the hospital that offers a full range of comprehensive medical care to patients of all ages. In addition to the Baptist Cancer Center in Columbus and Starkville, the hospital offers a variety of other services to the community, including Baptist Behavioral Health Care, for those with behavioral and mental health problems, an extensive rehabilitation department; and free community education programs for the public. Baptist Golden Triangle is the only hospital in Mississippi and one of only 15 in the U.S. to have achieved Straight ‘A’s in Leapfrog’s Hospital Safety Score since 2012. For more information, please call 662-244-1000 or visit goldentriangle.baptistonline.org or follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/Baptistgoldentriangle.