CHARLOTTE, N.C. – ONE Charlotte Health Alliance today announced that more than 75 employees of Atrium Health and Novant Health have received, or are receiving, opportunities to become a registered nurse through its nursing scholarship programs, the RN Educational Assistance Program at Atrium Health and the Upward Mobility RN Scholarship Program at Novant Health.
In 2018, Atrium Health and Novant Health announced an initiative through ONE Charlotte Health Alliance to support the professional development and advancement of certified nursing assistants (CNAs) employed at the health systems to become registered nurses (RN). In the three years since the initiative began, 36 participants have completed the scholarship program, nearly 90% of participants continue to work at the participating health systems. Another 47 participants are currently enrolled in the program.
As the national nursing shortage continues to be further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, these scholarships enable ONE Charlotte Health Alliance partners to continue to build a workforce pipeline while simultaneously addressing and improving economic mobility for their employees and increasing diversity within the workforce. Since the initial CNA-to-RN upward mobility scholarship pilot, both health systems have expanded their programs to benefit any eligible employee who is interested in becoming a registered nurse.
"At Novant Health, we continue to identify ways to invest in our team members and provide professional advancement opportunities," said Carmen Canales, senior vice president and chief people officer, Novant Health. "Due to the success of our Upward Mobility RN Scholarship Program in Charlotte, we've since expanded this scholarship opportunity across the Novant Health system and have participants enrolled in nursing schools in every community we serve. I'm proud to share that some of our graduates now hold leadership positions across the organization," said Canales.
“As the largest employer in North Carolina, we are committed to supporting professional development opportunities that improve financial well-being and support our teammates’ advancement in their careers,” said Jim Dunn, enterprise executive vice president, chief people and culture officer for Atrium Health. “We are incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made through this scholarship program to date by celebrating internal advancement for teammates and will continue to invest in our teammates to pursue their educational goals and excel now and in the future.”
The scholarships provide up to two years of upfront coverage of tuition and fees for nursing school, leading to licensure as a registered nurse. Participants are offered the flexibility of working a reduced schedule without a reduction in current compensation and benefits to meet academic requirements and are also paired with a mentor for career coaching.
“As a mother of four little kids, finances would have been my greatest setback in achieving my dream of becoming a nurse, but being a recipient of the Atrium Health RN Educational Assistance Program lifted this burden off my shoulders,” said Jennifer Awuruonye, a registered nurse at Atrium Health. “Not only did they pay my tuition and supplies through school, but the physical and emotional support that I received from my coach was second to none. The coaches were there to listen and always circling around to ensure I had all the resources I needed to succeed. This program was a total package and I can beat my chest so hard to say that I became a registered nurse because of the support I received from Atrium Health,” said Awuruonye.
“I’ve dreamed of becoming a nurse since I was a little girl, but the road I took had a lot of obstacles – including two unsuccessful attempts at a nursing degree,” said Brittany Samuels, a Novant Health Upward Mobility RN Scholarship recipient. “With the flexibility of working a reduced schedule to focus on my studies, this scholarship program made it possible for me to achieve my goal of becoming a nurse. In addition to the flexible work hours, the scholarship also provided invaluable mental health support, life navigation to help me process the challenges of life and career coaching that assisted me in identifying the steps I needed to take to advance my career. I completed the program in 2019 and have since gone on to complete my bachelor’s degree in nursing.”
This program is designed to promote individual professional development, while advancing both health systems’ organizational goals of addressing future nursing needs, engaging team members, identifying top talent and increasing diversity.
Together, Atrium Health and Novant Health continue to support ONE Charlotte Health Alliance’s mission to strengthen Charlotte communities and promote the economic advancement of all Charlotte residents. The ONE Charlotte Health Alliance is part of the ONE Charlotte initiative, designed to provide holistic support in education, jobs, health and justice by integrating programs and services to meet the needs of underserved communities in Charlotte.
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