NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Tennessee could be short 8,500 nurses by 2035, according to the Tennessee Hospital Association — and a new Nashville high school is working to change that.
Nurses Middle College, a free public charter school, welcomed its first class this school year. 120 students are now enrolled.
"It's really great that it's giving us options to go straight into the work field," one student said.
While completing their high school diploma requirements, students also graduate with EMT, CNA, and doula certifications.
"In this nursing ethics class, is where we learn how patients in their patient rights, how us as healthcare workers can provide those rights and make the patient feel safe with our care," a student said.
A new partnership with TCAT Nashville is taking the program even further. 25 students will enter the practical nursing program starting in 10th grade.
"We'll be able to send students through starting 10th grade year into the practical nursing program," Nurses MC Executive Director Andrea Poynter said.
Nurses MC is the first high school in Middle Tennessee to offer this kind of pathway.
"Be able to sit for their Practical Nursing exam, something that normally doesn't happen until they're 18 years old with a high school diploma. But I want to give them a head start. I'm like, How do I get these students to second base or third base?" Poynter said.
The school's approach is rooted in the belief that early exposure to healthcare is critical to building the next generation of nurses.
"Being able to get people exposed to health care is, I believe, essential and important, because sometimes people don't even know what the requirements are," Poynter said.
"Just think of even like with your regular high school experience, it's the same, except it's a healthcare focus," a student said.
Nurses MC is currently accepting applications for its summer camp, where prospective students can learn more about the school, as well as applications for the upcoming school year. For more information, email info@nursesmc.org.
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