First-of-its-Kind Program Creates Nursing Jobs in Southern Nevada, Provides Expert Oncology Training to Strengthen State's Oncology Healthcare Infrastructure
Nevada Cancer Institute (NVCI) is launching its Plus One Program, a paid nursing internship initiative to equip nursing graduates with advanced training to give them an edge in today's competitive nursing job market. After completing a paid one-year internship at NVCI, participants will become oncology nurses, a highly sought-after specialty. These specialized jobs have the potential to pay increased wages, provide excellent benefits and support articulated career ladders within the field of oncology.
Plus One is provided in partnership with the College of Southern Nevada (CSN) and Workforce CONNECTIONS, and is funded by a $3.2M American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant. The annual program is launching with nine participants with plans to expand in coming years.
The current nursing market is flooded with experienced RNs who've come out of retirement or delayed retirement as a result of the recent economy. Recently graduated registered nurses are struggling to find jobs today because, after cut-backs, hospitals don't have the resources to train the new nurses. A June 2009 survey of 2,112 spring RN graduates by the National Student Nurses' Association found 44% hadn't yet found jobs.
"Plus One is the first internship program of its kind. It is a significant step to creating a more robust cancer care infrastructure in Southern Nevada while helping recent nursing graduates receive their oncology certification and increase their chances of landing better paying jobs," said Cheryl Martin, NVCI's chief operating officer and chief nursing executive.