The Western Massachusetts Nursing Collaborative

Western Massachusetts Nursing Collaborative

The Western Massachusetts Nursing Collaborative is a coalition of nurse leaders from education and service focused on the critical role the nursing workforce plays in the delivery of quality care. They are working together to ensure the region has an adequate supply of high quality, diverse nurses to meet the healthcare needs of our community.

Why a Nursing Collaborative?

Registered nurses represent the largest segment of the healthcare workforce. Despite current economic conditions, there is a growing shortage of nurses that is projected to significantly increase in the coming years due to the aging population, nurses retirements.

Since its founding in 2006, the Western MA Nursing Collaborative has been both active and responsive to the region’s changing needs. It remains dedicated to the following goals:

Increase retention of new nurses in all healthcare settings
- Data on new nurses retention rates in western Massachusetts
Ensure nurses have the competencies and full scope of practice to meet the health needs of the community
- Did the COVID-19 pandemic affect the quality of the nursing graduate, as seen through the eyes of nursing schools and healthcare organizations?
Increase the diversity of the nursing workforce in western Massachusetts
Increase the number of nurses in the region with a BSN/BS in nursing or advanced degree
- Data on RN recruitment from local programs
Increase the supply and diversity of nursing faculty in western Massachusetts
Sustain the growth and development of the healthcare workforce partnership of western Massachusetts to implement its goals

Awards:

Organization of Nurse Leaders – MA, RI, NH, CT, VT – Janet Madigan Advocacy Award (2019)

Strategic Plan 2024-2026

Our 2024-2026 Strategic Plan is an aggressive and thoughtful agenda to ensure that high quality healthcare is provided by a well-trained, diverse, and culturally aware workforce.

Nursing Articles, Trainings and other Publications

ANA Massachusetts

Did the COVID-19 pandemic affect the quality of the nursing graduate, as seen through the eyes of nursing schools and healthcare organizations? (WMNC abstract)
Did the COVID-19 pandemic affect the quality of the nursing graduate, as seen through the eyes of nursing schools and healthcare organizations? (WMNC full report)

National Academy of Medicine

National Plan for Health Workforce Well-Being

New England Nursing Clinical Faculty and Preceptor Academy

Preceptor Skills Webinars
2024 Spring Webinars (January 2024)

Nursing Council on Workforce Sustainability

Department of Higher Education

Community College Nursing Scholarship Program (October 2023)

Organization of Nurse Leaders

DPH Updates

State partners are working closely with DPH to expand the nursing pipeline:

Executive Order and DPH guidance to allow GRADUATES of nursing programs (who are not yet licensed) to practice nursing during in Their Last Semester of Nursing Education Programs — Authorization Extended (May 31, 2024).
Executive Order to allow nurses from out of state to be temporarily licensed in MA and extended expired licenses of MA healthcare professionals to continue to practice during the state of emergency.
Executive Order to Expedite Processing of Reciprocal License Applications Licensure Policy 10-03

Centralized Nursing Clinical Placement System

The Massachusetts Centralized Nursing Clinical Placement System (MCNCPS) is a collaborative project of the Board of Higher Education (BHE) and the Massachusetts Center for Nursing (MCN).

The MCNCPS software, developed by the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education, is a stand-alone Internet-based software tool designed to facilitate the display, scheduling, and management of clinical nursing education placements between health care organizations and nursing education programs. This system is regionally-based and has been created through the input of regional nursing education and practice leaders from across the state. Visit the website.

Western Massachusetts healthcare facilities and schools involved in the implementation of the Massachusetts Centralized Clinical Placement System streamlined the nursing clinical placements by using the electronic scheduling system and standardized the requirements for clinical rotations in all western Massachusetts healthcare facilities.

PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING Clinical Conference

Approximately 300 public health and student nurses have participated in the semi-annual Public Health Nursing Clinical Conference since its inception in 2017. Past participants represented public health nurses from the health departments in Springfield, Chicopee, Holyoke, Agawam, Southwick and Westfield, as well as senior level nursing students from American International College, Springfield Technical Community College and Bay Path University’s RN to BSN program, Elms College, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and Westfield State University.

The Massachusetts Association of Public Health Nurses – Western MA Chapter, designed the conference and partnered with the Western MA Nursing Collaborative with the goal of exposing nursing students to viable opportunities in community nursing. Participants are informed on the role and responsibilities of public health nurses and their involvement in promoting and maintaining healthy populations in the community through their association with state agencies, schools and healthcare centers. The chapter members also facilitate a patient surveillance and disease control simulation, providing participants with a first-hand experience on managing a disease outbreak in the community.

Nursing On-the-Job Training and Residency Programs

In November 2011, the MassHire Hampden County County Workforce Board in partnership with Capital Workforce Partners in Hartford, CT received funding from US Department of Labor to assist new and underemployed nurses transition to employment in areas of healthcare that require extended training. Learn more about this project.

Care Transitions Education Project

The Massachusetts Senior Care Foundation, in partnership with the Western MA Nursing Collaborative (WMNC), received funding from Partners Investing in Nursing’s Future (PIN), a program of the Robert Wood Johnson and Northwest Health Foundations to develop and evaluate CTEP (2011-2014). Learn more about this project.

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