The ASPIRE programme volition make a pathway for precocious schoolhouse students to participate La Salle’s nursing programme with preliminary cognition and enactment experience.The ASPIRE Program allows students funny successful a nursing vocation to person aboriginal employment and acquisition experiences opening successful precocious school.
La Salle University is partnering with the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Howley Foundation to put successful the aboriginal of nursing by creating accessible pathways toward an undergraduate nursing degree.
Now accepting applications, the ASPIRE Program is an enrichment programme designed for section upper-level precocious schoolhouse students funny successful a vocation successful nursing. As ASPIRE Scholars, students person penetration into the nursing assemblage and healthcare teams and enactment successful a assortment of interactive experiences wrong the hospital. Nearing precocious schoolhouse graduation, the ASPIRE Program assists students successful applying to La Salle to prosecute their undergraduate nursing degree. While astatine La Salle, students proceed their affiliation with Penn Medicine and tin modulation into part-time employment roles arsenic they implicit their nursing credits.
The program’s goals see addressing the nationwide nursing shortage portion expanding diverseness successful wellness attraction and offering opportunities for economical mobility. “Our nursing programme is honored to spouse with the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Howley Foundation to bring nursing acquisition to students done the ASPIRE Program,” said School of Nursing and Health Sciences dean Kathleen Czekanski, Ph.D., R.N. “Students selected arsenic ASPIRE Scholars volition larn and use their objective and captious reasoning skills nether the auspices of an instauration internationally recognized for its objective and probe excellence. As a Magnet® recognized organization, HUP brings a past of supporting the highest standards of nursing practice. La Salle is arrogant to articulation with our partners astatine HUP to hole ASPIRE Scholars for aboriginal careers arsenic registered nurses successful today’s analyzable healthcare environment.”
Pictured from near to right: Gabrielle Mariotti, University of Pennsylvania Health System endowment absorption advisor and ASPIRE Program manager; School of Nursing and Health Sciences dean Kathleen Czekanski, Ph.D., R.N.; Diana Rodenbaugh, ’08, University of Pennsylvania Health System nursing nonrecreational improvement specializer for the ASPIRE Program; Pat DiGiacomo, La Salle undergraduate nursing programme director; Jose Rodriguez, La Salle School of Nursing and Health Sciences undergraduate world advisor.The Howley Foundation archetypal established the ASPIRE Program successful Cleveland, wherever the nonprofit is based. ASPIRE volition prime up to 25 caller Philadelphia precocious schoolhouse juniors each year, providing a pathway into the nursing tract done La Salle nursing acquisition opening with a precocious schoolhouse enrichment programme which consists chiefly of lecture-type lessons and hands-on learning. The programme begins successful aboriginal 2023 with its archetypal cohort of high-school juniors, and prime seniors volition enroll astatine La Salle successful Fall 2023.
Following precocious schoolhouse graduation and completing the enrichment program, students tin prosecute a Bachelor of Science successful nursing (BSN) astatine La Salle. While astatine the University, students volition beryllium employed by HUP wrong the Department of Nursing to further signifier their skills and summation experience. 
The program’s enactment criteria prioritizes first-generation assemblage students and those from different marginalized communities whose opportunities to be assemblage whitethorn beryllium limited.
All students selected for the programme volition person afloat tuition remission. Supported by the Howley Foundation’s committedness of up to $7.5 million, arsenic good arsenic enactment from Penn Medicine, students volition person backing connected apical of their La Salle University scholarships and national grants to guarantee they person nary tuition costs.
Students indispensable conscionable world criteria to stay successful the program. Scholars volition besides person a $500 stipend aft palmy completion of the precocious schoolhouse information of the enrichment program.
The collaboration betwixt La Salle and HUP came people erstwhile Penn Medicine saw the occurrence of the University’s nursing graduates, Czekanski said. The aesculapian strategy besides valued the precocious grade of enactment La Salle offers students—from archetypal twelvemonth advising done to nursing-specific mentoring, advising, and vocation coaching.
Graduates of La Salle’s BSN programme achieved a 91.59% first-time walk complaint connected their nationalist licensure exam, the NCLEX-RN, for the most-recent investigating cycle, for the play of Oct. 1, 2021–Sept. 30, 2022. This is the 5th clip successful the past six investigating cycles that La Salle’s nursing students person registered a 90% first-time walk complaint oregon better. In that span, La Salle’s nursing students person achieved a 93% wide first-time walk complaint connected the NCLEX-RN. The programme besides has a 100% occupation placement complaint upon graduation.
Current La Salle nursing students enactment intimately with module members successful the sim lab.“Our squad astatine La Salle University promotes a holistic attack to pupil learning,” said Pat DiGiacomo, Ed.D., MSN, RNC, the undergraduate nursing programme seat astatine La Salle. “Faculty and unit are present to enactment our nursing students arsenic soon arsenic they participate La Salle, done their palmy completion of the NCLEX exam. We person dedicated faculty, staff, and full-time enactment staff, including tutors, remediation specialists, and adjacent world coaches, to enactment our students each measurement of the way. We look guardant to welcoming an academically prepared and enthusiastic cohort to our programme done ASPIRE.”
“ASPIRE firmly aligns with Penn Medicine’s and HUP’s goals to connection pipeline opportunities for members of our assemblage to proceed cultivating an inclusive workforce that provides outstanding diligent care,” said Colleen Mattioni, DNP, MBA, the main caregiver enforcement astatine HUP. “The ASPIRE Program volition invited a divers excavation of young radical into an situation of research, innovation, and evidenced based practice, and precocious prime objective care. Of course, we volition payment from participants’ enthusiasm, curiosity, and passion.”
—Meg Ryan
English (US)