“DARTMOUTH, FALL RIVER, NEW BEDFORD and WAREHAM, Mass.. – This month, 16 Southcoast Health nurses with associate degrees completed orientation for a new program at the UMass Dartmouth College of Nursing and Health Sciences to earn their Bachelor of Science degree in nursing.

The newly launched program continues Southcoast Health’s long-standing, productive relationship with UMass Dartmouth and was made possible through direct funding from Senator Michael J. Rodrigues to further expand the nursing and health care workforce in our region.

“I am proud to support the recent collaboration between UMass Dartmouth and Southcoast Health focused on workforce development and the well-being of our region,” said Senator Rodrigues, Chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee (D-Westport). “At a time when we are facing a shortage of health care workers and opportunities for our communities to receive care, this innovative partnership addresses the needs of the South Coast and the Commonwealth.”

“UMass Dartmouth is grateful to partner with Southcoast Health to meet the health needs of our community through high-impact learning and training opportunities. Innovative collaborations like this initiative are key to enhancing the future success of our region by training the next generation of health professionals,” added Mark A. Fuller, Chancellor of UMass Dartmouth.

The primary objective of the partnership is to improve the training level of Southcoast Health’s clinical nursing staff to:

• Increase the number of bachelor’s degree clinical nurses in Southcoast Health hospitals.
• Increase the number of Southcoast Health clinical nurses who have the training necessary to serve as mentors to future nursing students applying for positions at Southcoast Health.

“Southcoast Health is proud and very excited to partner with UMass Dartmouth to educate and train the next generation of nurses and support staff,” said David O. McCready, president and CEO of Southcoast Health. “Collaborating on these important initiatives is an investment in the future health and well-being of everyone in our community.”

Through this innovative partnership, these nurses will be able to begin their training this fall for free or at a low cost.

For more information about careers at Southcoast Health, visit: www.southcoast.org/careers/

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About Southcoast Health

Founded in 1996, Southcoast Health serves communities in southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island as the largest provider of primary and specialty care in the region. The nonprofit, charitable system includes three acute care hospitals – Charlton Memorial in Fall River, St. Luke’s in New Bedford (a Level II trauma center) and Tobey in Wareham, Massachusetts, with a physician network of more than 675 physicians.

The system has more than 55 service locations along the South Coast of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, including six urgent care locations, a community nurse association, the Southcoast Health Cancer Center, the region’s only Level II adult trauma center, and numerous ancillary facilities.

Southcoast Health has been recognized by Newsweek as one of the World’s Best Hospitals from 2019-2024 for six consecutive years and by U.S. News & World Report as a Hospital with Access to Maternity Care for 2023-2024. The organization has been recognized as a Best Place to Work in Southcoast Media Group’s Community’s Choice Awards for the seventh consecutive year.

With more than 7,500 employees, Southcoast Health is the largest employer in southeastern Massachusetts and one of the largest employers in the Commonwealth, according to the Boston Business Journal. For more information, visit www.southcoast.org.

About UMass Dartmouth

UMass Dartmouth is distinguished as a dynamic public national research university committed to engaged learning and innovative research that enables lifelong student success. The university is the second largest university in Massachusetts and 69th nationally in social mobility, and is proud to be a major driver of opportunity for a diverse and talented student body. UMass Dartmouth serves as an intellectual catalyst for economic, social and cultural change on a global, national and regional level. Follow UMassD on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For more information, visit www.umassd.edu.“-South Coast Health.