DEARBORN — Henry Ford College (HFC) and Corewell Health have announced a partnership with the inception of their new program that guarantees HFC nursing students who meet the requirements a job at Corewell Health upon graduation. 

This guaranteed-employment educational partnership will generate a pipeline of qualified and career-ready individuals with newly-possessed nursing degrees to work in Corewell Health hospitals and health care facilities in Southeast Michigan. 

Michigan Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II, Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud and various other dignitaries attended the official launch of this new Nurse Immersive and Clinical Employment Agreement. The launch was held at the Henry Ford College main campus in Dearborn.

“This partnership is not just a win-win for Corewell Health and Henry Ford College, it’s a win-win for the city of Dearborn and ultimately, the entire state,” said Kelli Sadler, MHA, RN, senior vice president and chief nursing executive, Corewell Health in Southeast Michigan, in a press release. “This partnership will help fulfill our state’s need for skilled nurses who will provide patients with exceptional care in our communities. As a nurse for 28 years, I know firsthand how extremely rewarding and fulfilling a nursing career is. Seeing all of you seeking such a promising future brings me great joy. I look forward to having you join our incredible team at Corewell Health. And together, we can make a difference.”

This program allows nursing students to secure a position post graduation, having met the requirements.

Building on a longstanding relationship between Henry Ford College and Corewell Health, the new Nurse Immersive Clinical and Employment program will provide benefits to students and to Corewell Health, setting the stage for a consistent nursing workforce that can help meet patient needs in the decades to come. The program will help to secure a sustainable source of newly trained and qualified RNs to be employed by Corewell Health at Corewell Health hospitals and health care facilities in Southeast Michigan.

Photos: The Henry Ford College website

According to the Henry Ford College website this program will, “recruit and prepare HFC nursing students for careers in the Corewell Health system, with a guarantee of employment when they successfully complete their HFC nursing degree and related requirements; enhance and accelerate student learning through embedded clinical and immersive on-site training opportunities and ‘learn and earn’ options; engage Corewell Health nursing staff in preparing the next generation of health care professionals in Southeast Michigan and provide significant financial support to students. Scholarships may reach up to $9,380 per student.”

The four core components of the partnership include clinical placement, immersive learning, a learn and earn option, and then a full-time employment guarantee following completion of the program.

Clinical placement will entail nursing students partaking in clinical training  in Corewell Health hospitals beginning in their first semesters.

The immersive learning will be for students in their fourth semester, where they will be advancing their knowledge and skills through an onsite practicum at Corewell Health Facilities mentored by Corewell Health nurses.

The Learn and earn option will offer students part-time paid jobs in Corewell Health facilities while completing the nursing program.

Following graduation from the program, nursing graduates who receive the scholarship, successfully pass the NCLEX exam and meet the Corewell Health requirements for employment will be given a guaranteed position at a Corewell Health facility in Southeast Michigan, for two years at least.

“About a year ago, my team gathered a group of leaders throughout the city with the intention of strengthening our best asset: Our young, growing, and energized workforce,” Mayor Hammoud said in a press release. “We asked, ‘What would it look like for students to have a career trajectory that’s certain, that reduces financial barriers, that ends in a guaranteed, high-paying job?’ This partnership between Corewell Health and Henry Ford College delivers on central priorities of economic opportunity and mobility for Dearborn. We are excited to have played a role in getting this pipeline launched, and even more excited for Dearborn students to take advantage of this opportunity.”