Who
- Workforce development leaders from Modesto Junior College (MJC)
- Kaiser Permanente Modesto Medical Center
- Sutter Memorial Medical Center in Modesto
- HealthForce Partners – a health sector partnership serving Northern San Joaquin County
What
Hospital Council brought these parties together on Sept. 15 at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Stockton to learn about the Helping Our People Elevate (HOPE) Program Regional Nurse Training initiative. Leaders from St. Joseph’s Medical Center and San Joaquin Delta College explained how they developed the HOPE incumbent worker training program to upskill interested and qualified employees to the classification of registered nurse.
Nearly all participants accepted into the program over several cohorts have become registered nurses who remain in the local community. This has become a cost-effective “grow your own” strategy for increasing the nursing workforce in a region that often serves as training grounds for nurses who move to other parts of the state after completing training and receiving one to two years of experience.
HealthForce Partners will engage MJC and hospitals in Stanislaus and Tuolumne counties to replicate the HOPE Program to bolster the supply of nurses committed to remaining in their communities.