KANSAS CITY, Mo. – August 7, 2024 – Today, Avila University and North Kansas City Hospital/Meritas Health (NKCH/MH) announced a new partnership to provide expanded access to nursing education to students within our community. Through this partnership, NKCH/MH will provide hands-on clinical learning in tandem with Avila’s programs to prepare aspiring nurses to enter the healthcare field.
Avila University and NKCH/MH will use their combined resources and expertise to train aspiring nurses and strengthen the local healthcare workforce. This partnership will help address the nursing shortage in Missouri, Kansas, and beyond.
Through this partnership, prospective students will have access to these flexible, essential programs that empower students with the skills necessary to become nurses. Students who complete these nursing programs will be ready to join local healthcare systems and offer critical care to patients within the local communities.
“Our partnership with NKCH/MH will open the door for aspiring nurses in our community to begin their healthcare careers,” said Dr. Jim Burkee, President, Avila University. “These essential programs will allow us to work closely with local healthcare systems to ensure prospective nurses are receiving the knowledge necessary to best serve patients.”
Missouri and Kansas are in the midst of a nursing crisis that has broader implications on the overall health of our communities. These shortages have adverse impacts when healthcare facilities are unable to meet the demand of patients, leading to potential errors or impacting the patient experience. This partnership will bring more qualified nurses to our local healthcare systems and help enhance our overall community health.
“Nurses are a critical part of our healthcare system and we are excited to partner with Avila to support the hands-on experience that will prepare aspiring nurses for their future healthcare careers,” said Sarah Oakley, Chief Nursing Officer/Vice President, North Kansas City Hospital/Meritas Health. “This partnership will help us do our part to lessen the impact of the nursing shortage and ensure our community has access to high-quality healthcare.”
The first cycle of students can enroll as soon as Spring 2025. To learn more about Avila healthcare programs, or to enroll, visit https://nursing.avila.edu/nkch/.
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About Avila University: Avila University, located in Kansas City, Mo, and serving students from across the world, believes in offering access to Education Without Limits and inviting students to define what that means to them personally as individuals and collectively across campus. Founded in 1916 by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, Avila has been focused on the development of the whole person for more than a century, providing a liberal arts education rooted in values of service, diversity, excellence in teaching and learning. In 2023, Avila celebrated a historic milestone, welcoming its largest-ever incoming class of freshmen. The rapid growth is the most recent testament to the school’s focus on making degrees accessible through robust scholarship programs and financial aid. Thanks to decades of strategic planning and tireless teamwork by faculty and staff, Avila is now the educational home to students from 26 countries, studying an expanded curriculum that offers more than 60 majors. That’s the power of Education Without Limits.
About North Kansas City Hospital/Meritas Health:
For more than 65 years, North Kansas City Hospital has been the Northland’s preferred healthcare provider. Our mission is to provide hope and healing to every life we touch.
NKCH is an acute care facility with 451 licensed beds and 550 physicians representing 49 medical specialties. From our award-winning cardiovascular and orthopedic programs to our cancer, emergency, neuroscience, spine, women’s and other services, we provide a lifetime of care.
Through our Meritas Health subsidiary, NKCH offers the largest network of physician practices in the Northland, with more than 235 primary and specialty care doctors and advanced practice providers in 35 convenient locations, including an express care clinic in the 64th Street Hy-Vee store.
Our accreditations demonstrate our commitment to providing quality healthcare, including:
- American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet® designation
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services four-star rating
- The Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval® and certification for Advanced Perinatal Care, Comprehensive Cardiac Center, Advanced Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement, Primary Stroke Center and Wound Care Management Certification.