SOCH Introduces the Center for Health Sciences

Beginning this academic year, students in Southern Regional High School’s advanced anatomy and physiology class will receive lessons on the human body by guest lecturers who are certainly experts in their field…SOCH physicians.

“Physicians representing such specialties as neurology, gastroenterology, pathology, orthopedics and radiology will be invited to the school several times throughout the year to share their clinical expertise with these students,” said Ed Niewiadomski, MD, senior vice president for medical affairs at SOCH and a participating guest lecturer in the program.

It’s all part of the Center for Health Sciences, a new initiative designed to attract more people to the medical and allied health professions.   Spearheaded by SOCH, the Center for Health Sciences is a collaborative partnership with Atlantic Cape Community College, Burlington County College, Ocean County College, Richard Stockton College and the Southern Regional School District.

In addition to the program at Southern Regional High School, a centerpiece of this historic collaboration is the development of the “One Day Per Week Registered Nurse Program”.

“This program may be the key to providing a nursing education to those who can’t manage a traditional five-day per week format,” said Joseph P. Coyle, president and CEO of SOCH.  “This program is ideal for nontraditional students who may be single parents or members of communities that have historically been under-represented in the nursing profession.”

The “One Day Per Week” registered nurse program features a 12-hour, one day per week class that includes 9 hours of clinical/lab time and a 2-hour colloquium.  The one-day per week at SOCH is supplemented by on-line web assisted lessons that provide the course work content in an easily accessible format.  

The Center for Life Sciences collaboration comes at a time when the state of New Jersey is experiencing dramatic shortages in the nursing and allied health professions.   According to the New Jersey Collaboration Center for Nursing, nursing shortages in New Jersey are projected to be 49 percent by 2020, and shortages in allied health professionals between 33 percent and 63 percent by 2010, depending on the specialty.  Through this innovative collaborative, SOCH is hoping to change those statistics for the better.

“Our seashore community serves as a beacon for retirees, who come to this area to enjoy their golden years.  In response, SOCH has instituted a number of new program and strengthening existing programs to provide for the healthcare needs of an older population,” explained Mr. Coyle.  “As this segment of our population continues to grow, we will see an increase in diseases like diabetes, chronic heart failure and COPD.  The Center for Health Sciences will help ensure we have the appropriate level of nurses and allied health professionals available to care for these patients.”

The physician guest lecturer program and the “One Day Per Week” registered nurse program are the first phase of this collaborative initiative that is designed to recruit more students into the healthcare profession as well as enhance the skills of those already in the profession.  As part of the long-term vision for the Center for Health Sciences, SOCH has plans to construct a new building, dedicated 30,000 square feet of classroom, laboratory and auditorium space.  This facility will be designed to provide the ultimate learning experience, including intimate classrooms for small group learning, a large auditorium for maximum flexibility and up to date information technology so essential for today’s healthcare worker.  The goal is for partnering colleges to schedule nursing and allied health courses in the SOCH education facility, and supplement class work with hands-on clinical experience at the Hospital.

To learn more about the “One Day Per Week” nurse program at SOCH, click here

Date posted: 07/27/07 @ 2:35 pm

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