Expanding Resources for Working Adults: A College/Community/Hospital Collaboration

Abstract

In response to the critical need for nurses in New York City, the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), with support from two local unions and a foundation, initiated the Evening/Weekend Program designed for working adult nursing students in fall, 1989. While the 3-year, part-time program was open to any qualified BMCC student, a special recruitment and academic support plan was developed with the unions. The following support mechanisms, combining existing college-wide resources with new initiatives developed specifically for the program, were provided: (1) a mandatory basic skills assessment and placement program; (2) a free Pre-Freshman Immersion Program, offering remediation to those students who require it (70% of BMCC's student body) prior to regular enrollment; (3) special group orientations, assessment testing sessions, admissions appointments, and registration dates for union members; (4) a full-time college counselor available evenings and Saturdays for Nursing students; (5) union counselors available evenings and Saturdays for union members; (6) non-credit preparatory courses for chemistry, anatomy, and physiology, supplemented by an innovative science tutoring program; (7) peer tutoring in the Nursing Tutorial Lab; (8) basic skills classes for students offered on-site at union headquarters; and (8) monthly meetings between BMCC and union administrative staff to review the progress of the program. Using the union-based model, BMCC also developed a hospital-based program in cooperation with Harlem Hospital, targeting local residents, as well as hospital employees. (MAB)