FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 21, 1999
Contact: Tracy Moline, assistant director for media relations: (651) 690-6521, (612) 527-4852 pager
Jan Rabbers, Minnesota Nurses Assn.: (651) 646-4807, (612) 860-6658 cellular
Gloria O’Connell, Abbott Northwestern Hospital: (612) 863-4801
Groundbreaking partnership increases advancement opportunities for nurses
ST. PAUL, Minn. — A hospital, Abbott Northwestern of Minneapolis; a college, the College of St. Catherine; and a nurses’ union, the Minnesota Nurses Association; are partnering to provide tremendous benefits to individual nurses, the hospital and its patients, and the health-care industry as a whole.
On Jan. 4, 2000, college classes will begin on site at Abbott Northwestern for the first class of 37 students in a unique bachelor’s degree completion program designed to allow registered nurses (RNs) who currently hold an associate degree to complete a bachelor of science degree. The nursing students will attend classes taught by College of St. Catherine nursing faculty in classrooms at Abbott Northwestern.
“Offering a bachelor’s degree to RNs who have a two-year degree expands the breadth of professional development for these nurses,” said Lynn Burbank, St. Catherine’s associate dean of continuing education. “Many are at a crossroads — they need additional education to further their career opportunities and to stay abreast of the fast-changing health-care profession. St. Catherine’s is making it as easy as possible for them to do that. At the same time, our faculty will have the advantage of being on site in a medical facility and will be better able to adjust their teaching to address today’s health-care realities.”
The innovative curriculum builds on the RNs’ previous academic and professional experience and provides options to ensure flexibility, accessibility and individualized attention. Initial courses to be offered include Biomedical Ethics and The Reflective Woman, one of St. Catherine’s foundation courses.
“MNA supports advanced education for nurses across the state,” said Mary Scattarelli, RN, chair of the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) Bargaining Unit at Abbott Northwestern and staff nurse at the hospital. “We’ve had overwhelming response to this program based on its convenient, flexible format. It meets nurses’ interests and desire for additional professional advancement opportunities. Together MNA, St. Catherine’s and Abbott Northwestern have developed a unique program as well as a leadership role in health care.”
An important component of the program is the integration of service and education in nursing practice. Students benefit by increased job satisfaction and mobility, satisfy continuing education requirements and are better prepared for graduate work, should they want to move on to that level. In addition, the program is designed to give students a current, holistic view of health care by looking at the “big picture”: to best address health-care issues for patients as well as the families, communities and wider society of which they are a part. More than 200 RNs at Abbott Northwestern have indicated an interest in pursuing a baccalaureate degree in nursing.
“Hospitals today are facing a shortage of staff at all levels,” said Heather Froehlich, RN, of Abbott Northwestern’s Center for Professional and Clinical Development. “Offering our already experienced and committed staff the opportunity for professional development is a winning proposition — for the students, for our patients, for the hospital and for our industry.”
Minneapolis-based Abbott Northwestern Hospital is part of Allina Hospitals & Clinics, a nonprofit network of hospitals, clinics and other health-care services. Allina Hospitals & Clinics provides care throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin.
The Minnesota Nurses Association is the largest nursing union in the Midwest. It has represented the interest of nurses since 1905. In addition to collective bargaining, the association acts as a professional advocacy, education and policy-making organization for registered nurses in Minnesota.
The College of St. Catherine is the largest Catholic college for women in the nation. Founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in 1905, St. Catherine’s is a multifaceted institution serving 4,372 students on campuses in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minn. St. Catherine’s offers bachelor’s degrees in the liberal arts and professional fields in both full-time day and weekend formats. The college also offers professional certificates; degrees at the associate’s and master’s levels; and continuing education opportunities. In all its programs, St. Catherine’s offers students from diverse backgrounds a spiritual and ethical grounding that prepares them for lives of personal and professional excellence.
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