Pictured (L to R) are Katy Wilkens, Chief Nursing Officer, CHRISTUS Shreveport-Bossier Health System; Nikki Phillips, Director of Clinical Education and Resources; Melissa Hollis, Registered Nurse Clinical Educator; Brooke Dorsey, Registered Nurse Clinical Educator; Dr. Steen Trawick, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Medical Officer, CHRISTUS Shreveport-Bossier Health System; BPCC Chancellor Dr. Rick Bateman, Jr.; Holly French-Heart, Provost/Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Institutional Effectiveness; Michael Whitaker, Dean of Nursing and Allied Health; Heather Weldon, Lab Coordinator; and Joseph Brownlee, Dean of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
Bossier Parish Community College (BPCC) is excited to announce a partnership with CHRISTUS Shreveport-Bossier Health System to support the staffing of clinical instructors for its nursing and allied health programs.
The grant funding provided by CHRISTUS Health is being provided to the BPCC Foundation to support this new partnership. The CHRISTUS Clinical Education team has worked very closely to outline this new partnership created to assist in increasing class sizes and graduate more nurses locally.
“Health systems across the nation continue to struggle with staffing nurses. We are doing everything we can to hire and retain new nurses. Our primary focus is attracting and educating nursing students with more flexibility and access while in school and clinicals. We hope to see an increase of 10-20 nursing student applicants each year,” said Dr. Steen Trawick, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Medical Officer, CHRISTUS Shreveport-Bossier Health System.
“The BPCC Foundation is committed to supporting the nursing programs at Bossier Parish Community College through grants, scholarships, professorships, and other program support. This partnership with CHRISTUS Health specifically recognizes a critical component in the output of nursing professionals into the local and regional economy. We look forward to continuing this relationship with CHRISTUS Health in the years to come to fill the urgent need for nurses in our community,” said Susannah Stinson, J.D., Associate Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement, Bossier Parish Community College.
The faculty grant supporting the clinical instructor position has been awarded in time for the Fall 2022 semester to benefit incoming nursing students. The initial gift will support compensation for the position for two years; then be evaluated annually based on success in the number of applicants and hires made from graduates of the Nursing program at BPCC.
“Our focus is to produce quality nurses with the necessary skills needed to be an effective member of a health care team within the community,” said Michael Whitaker, Dean of Nursing and Allied Health. “This partnership with CHRISTUS Health is a remarkable opportunity to expand our nursing faculty and assist in the production of more nursing graduates with key values of integrity, accountability, and professionalism.”
The partnership’s strategic focus is centered on increasing the number of clinical students training within the health system by implementing alternative scheduling opportunities, including evenings and weekends. These additional options will allow the program to improve the number of students training in local facilities and are aimed at increasing the number of graduate nurses within the Shreveport-Bossier community.
“The partnership with our local universities is invaluable to CHRISTUS Health and our ability to continue serving our community. The schools mold our nurses and build their education while providing growth, knowledge, and skills. We are so grateful for their support and partnership as together, we build a workforce that will bring healing and improved health to our community.,” said Katy Wilkens, Chief Nursing Officer, CHRISTUS Shreveport-Bossier Health System.
CHRISTUS Shreveport-Bossier Health System continuously works with nursing schools across the region to attract more students into the health care field and to facilitate clinical hands-on training in our hospitals for their clinical students.
About The BPCC Foundation:
The BPCC Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that engages in community outreach initiatives and collaborative partnerships and solicits public gifts on behalf of the college. Gifts to the Foundation are used to support programs throughout the school, including academic scholarships, faculty and staff development, and endowments and investments for the long-term support of Bossier Parish Community College. Bossier Parish Community College and the BPCC Foundation, Inc. do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, age, religion, qualified disability, marital status, veteran’s status, or sexual orientation in admission to its programs, services, or activities, in access to them, in treatment of individuals, or in any aspect of its operations. Bossier Parish Community College does not discriminate in its hiring or employment practices.
About CHRISTUS Shreveport-Bossier Health System:
A faith-based, not-for-profit health system, CHRISTUS Shreveport-Bossier Health System is part of CHRISTUS Health, sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. CHRISTUS is among the 10 largest Catholic health systems in the country and one of the 20 largest of all health systems in the nation. CHRISTUS Shreveport-Bossier Health System has provided health care in Northwest Louisiana for over 100 years. Our mission is to extend the healing ministry of Jesus Christ. For more information about CHRISTUS Shreveport-Bossier Health System, visit www.christushealth.org.