1010 - Paid Apprenticeship in Pre-Licensure Nursing in Minnesota: Paying Nursing Students While They Learn

Minnesota is piloting the Pre-Licensure Nursing Apprenticeship Model, where students are employees of clinical partners, complete clinical learning objectives two shifts/week, and are on paid release time to attend classes, labs, and simulation, and study the rest of the week. Nursing programs benefit from increased access to clinical learning and decreased direct supervision needs, allowing program growth. Clinical partners benefit from growing their own nurses who work for them after graduation, creating significant cost savings. Students benefit from supported tuition, salaries, benefits, and real-world experience with preceptors or dedicated education units.

Nursing education has three longstanding barriers to growth: Not enough qualified faculty for more students. Not enough clinical learning opportunities for more students. Highly qualified people cannot afford to be without salary and benefits to become an RN. The PNAM offers a way to address all these issues: a different way to supervise students, a different way to access clinical learning opportunities, and a salary and benefits while going to nursing school. Additionally, the healthcare system is experiencing an unprecedented shortage of nurses, causing worker dissatisfaction, turnover, burnout, and high cost of overtime and agency nursing. Following the lead of the Vermont Talent Pipeline, the Center for Nursing Equity and Excellence grew the Pre-licensure Nurse Apprenticeship Model (PNAM) in Minnesota in partnership with two community college ASN programs, one BSN program, and two large healthcare systems.