Albert Einstein Healthcare Network and La Salle University Announce New Nursing Careers Program for Students From Local Communities
Program Offers Financial Support and Guaranteed Jobs – Students Learn and Work in the Community
Philadelphia, PA, December 1, 2005– Hands-on work experience, mentoring, financial support, guaranteed jobs and full loan repayment are being offered to a special
group of nursing students from North and Northwest Philadelphia under an innovative Nursing Careers Program Partnership announced
today by Albert Einstein Healthcare Network (AEHN) and La Salle University. During each year of this ongoing program, ten
students at La Salle University’s School of Nursing will receive stipends, paid externships and, after graduation, nursing
positions – as well as loan repayment – from Albert Einstein Healthcare Network. AEHN is paying fully for the program.
The Nursing Careers Program Partnership developed out of the mutual commitment of AEHN, located at 5501 Old York Road, and
La Salle, located about five blocks west on Olney Avenue, to their local communities. “We want to increase the number of people
we can hire from the community to serve the community,” said Barry Freedman, President and CEO, AEHN. “We are pleased to be
partners in this initiative to enhance and support our Nursing School and the community at large,” said Brother Michael J.
McGinniss, FSC, PhD, President, La Salle University.
“The Nursing Careers Program Partnership takes a ‘grow your own’ approach to Pennsylvania’s nursing shortage,” said State
Representative Dwight Evans, who represents West Oak Lane, one of the neighborhoods that will benefit from the new program.
“In addition to providing a promising career path for young people and helping to address the increasing demand for skilled
nursing care, the program makes it more likely that these young professionals will live here, raise families here and invest
in Philadelphia’s future,” said Evans.
Mary Beth Kingston, MSN, RN, Chief Nursing Executive, AEHN, and Zane Robinson Wolf, PhD, RN, FAAN, Dean, La Salle University
School of Nursing, describe the program as a “win-win-win” for the community. “La Salle’s School of Nursing will gain an effective
tool for recruiting, encouraging and supporting students from local communities. Students selected for the program will benefit
from real-life, on-the-job learning,” said Wolf. Kingston says, “the program will help to address the serious shortage of
nurses and to increase community representation in AEHN’s highly qualified nursing staff.”
AEHN and La Salle plan to start recruiting in the spring of 2006 for junior and senior La Salle nursing students who will
begin the program in fall 2006. When students graduate and begin their nursing careers at AEHN, they’ll receive financial
help with their school loans in the form of full loan payback over a specified time period. “This assistance represents a
major financial commitment on Einstein’s part,” says Wolf.
Einstein Center for Urban Health Policy and Research, which identifies and develops innovative approaches to improving healthcare
delivery to diverse populations, will coordinate the Nursing Careers Program Partnership. Please call 215-951-8137 for more
information.
Albert Einstein Healthcare Network, a member of the Jefferson Health System, provides healthcare services through Albert Einstein
Medical Center, Germantown Community Health Services, Willow Terrace (a nursing home), Einstein at Elkins Park, MossRehab,
Willowcrest (a center for subacute care), Belmont Behavioral Health and a number of outpatient and satellite locations. Einstein
also operates a primary care network, Einstein Neighborhood Healthcare. For more information, visit
www.einstein.edu or call 1-800-EINSTEIN.
La Salle University is a private, coeducational university founded in 1863 by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, a Catholic
order dedicated to teaching and career preparation. The university offers undergraduate degrees in nearly 60 academic areas
within its three schools: Arts and Sciences, Business and Nursing.
CONTACT: Priscilla Koutsouradis
Communications Manager
Albert Einstein Healthcare Network
215-456-6730
koutsoup@einstein.edu
Publish date: December 1, 2005
