Partnership Providing Students Practical Experience

With support from the Foundation, Mary Greeley provides clinical educators to guide area nursing students

In an increasingly competitive job market, hiring qualified entry-level nurses is crucial to ensure patients receive the high-quality care they need and deserve. In 2022, Mary Greeley Medical Center launched an innovative strategy focused on establishing clinical instructor partnerships with area nursing schools.

This unique program has proven to be a win-win: It addresses challenges faced by educational institutions in securing instructors to provide day-to-day instruction in the clinical environment at Mary Greeley, while simultaneously providing medical center staff with valuable career development opportunities.

One of those clinical instructors is Tammy Krogh, MSN, RN, OCN, who leads groups of students through an 8-10 week rotation several times throughout the year. Krogh has been an oncology nurse for more than two decades and has taught at DMACC in the past. She says the program at Mary Greeley plays an important role in developing the next generation of nurses.

“These students come to us motivated, excited and wanting to learn,” Krogh says. “But they also have some apprehension because it is all brand new to them. We get to walk with them side-by-side as they address their fears and get more comfortable in their role as a care giver. In this profession, we want to make things better for people. We have built an environment through this program where we are making that possible. Our students are gaining both the technical skills and emotional and social tools to properly care for their patients.”

The program is made possible by the Foundation’s generous support. The Foundation offsets staffing costs, ensuring that the program remains financially viable for both the medical center and the partnering schools. The Foundation has invested nearly $20,000 in the program since its launch.

Tammy Stegman, M. Ed., Talent and Engagement Manager at Mary Greeley, administers the program and says it addresses a critical need identified in many schools – the shortage of clinical instructors. This shortage often hampers the ability of nursing schools to provide students with vital hands-on experience, limiting their exposure to real-world healthcare scenarios. Stegman emphasizes that Mary Greeley's focus on increasing its early talent pipeline prompted the medical center to think differently about recruitment and education.

"Our efforts at Mary Greeley are heavily focused on increasing our early talent pipeline,” she says. “This partnership is increasing the familiarity future care providers feel with Mary Greeley and offering us earlier access to qualified staff including current students, new nurses, and other healthcare professionals.”

The partnership launched with Mercy College of Health Sciences and Iowa Central Community College, both of which were struggling to find clinical instructors for their students. With the support of the Foundation, Stegman says the medical center is taking a proactive approach to clinical training. Krogh says she appreciates the opportunity to serve tomorrow’s care givers.

“We are in a period of time where there is a significant shortage in clinical instructors,” Krogh says. “I’m very proud of what we are doing here in committing resources to ensure nursing student receive the kind of hands-on education required to be successful in the profession.”

Stegman adds that the partnership is impacting patient care significantly by employing Mary Greeley employees—who are familiar with the medical center—to instruct students.

"We are able to offer students an experience that is led by a Mary Greeley employee who is familiar with the medical center,” Stegman says. “It's not a situation where we have new instructor coming in from the outside, who would require a lengthy orientation and onboard to get familiar with the way we operate here. We can get students up-to-speed quickly with someone already established within our organization offering oversight and instruction. That adds value to the experience they are gaining here.”

To date, the partnership has been a huge success.

"Since launch, we've had more than 200 students practice at Mary Greeley who would not have normally been on site doing any kind of experience here," Stegman says. “That is invaluable to the students, and it allows us to gain insight on the potential for individuals to become a member of our workforce in the future.”

Krogh says her work as a clinical instructor is humbling.

“I was called to be an oncology nurse,” Krogh says, “and I am proud to be helping nursing students find their passion for care giving. I keep in touch with a lot of my former students, and it is a special feeling when I hear that they have found a position, especially when that position is here at Mary Greeley. It speaks highly of the Foundation to recognize the importance of a program like this and then put dollars behind it.” 

Stegman adds that the initial success has everyone involved thinking bigger.

“We are always looking for partnerships that can positively impact patient care and help us maintain our emphasis on building our workforce,” Stegman says. “In a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, this commitment to education and talent development is vital. We are proud to be deploying unique solutions and setting a new standard for collaboration between healthcare providers and academic institutions.”