Southwest Ohio Healthcare Education and Workforce Coalition
Working collectively to increase the region’s healthcare talent pipeline
Southwest Ohio’s strategy
In Southwest Ohio, healthcare represents the largest industry sector with more than 115,000 employees. It also is the second fastest-growing sector, with demand increasing every year. However, the region currently has nearly 13,000 open healthcare positions and this number is expected to increase.
To decrease this deficit, Workforce Innovation at The Health Collaborative formed the Southwest Ohio Healthcare Education and Workforce Coalition.
Members include:
Creating a more robust nursing talent pipeline
One goal of the Coalition is to “uncrimp” current nursing education pipelines to increase student access to and success in earning nursing credentials.
One result of this work is that in 2022 the Coalition succeeded in obtaining approval of new and innovative approaches to increasing the nursing talent pipeline by advocating for smarter regulations. The outcomes of the work include:
Increasing the educator talent pool by right-sizing instructor requirements for STNA and LPN programs
Allowing programs to deliver STNA didactic learning virtually
Permitting schools to offer approved simulated clinical experiences for STNA
Increasing student certification success by using the federal standard for the STNA certification exam’s passing score
Another exciting outcome for the Coalition came with Ohio’s new Industry Recognized Credential Transfer Assurance Guides (ITAGs), which guarantee college credit at any Ohio public college or university to anyone with an approved credential, regardless of how and where it was earned.
More Nurses. Less Time.
Accelerating SW Ohio’s Nursing Education Pathway
LPN becomes Ohio’s first ever ITAG
In February 2022, with a great deal of leadership and input from Cincinnati State and the Chancellor’s ITAG Committee, LPN became the Ohio’s first ever ITAG, opening the door for current LPNs to continue their nursing education through LPN-to-RN bridge programs. The LPN ITAG has the potential to increase the size and diversity of the nursing talent pipeline.
Building a model for Ohio’s future success
As the work, impact, and outcomes of the SW Ohio Coalition grew, we recognized the need to include statewide peers in these efforts. In September 2022, we engaged with more than 160 healthcare education and workforce leaders from across Ohio.
The Coalition gained overwhelming support for convening statewide leaders quarterly to identify and pursue opportunities that improve and increase critical healthcare education pipelines.
Ohio Healthcare Education & Workforce Leaders quarterly meetings
Since December 2022, the SW Ohio Coalition has convened statewide healthcare education and workforce leaders to increase our combined impact across Ohio. Through these meetings, we are creating a cohesive voice and increasing our statewide impact as we:
ADVOCATE for smart regulations
COLLABORATE with regional and state partners
SHARE innovative best practices
PURSUE resources
Join us
Interested in learning more or participating in our quarterly meetings?
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