b"Growing up, Haylay Berry, BSN knew she either wanted to be a nurse or a lawyer. She made up her mind when her grandmother had a stroke, moved into the Berry home, and Haylay shared the responsibility of caring for her.That experience solidified that I wanted to make a career out of it, Berry says.Our Impact Out of high school, Berry enrolled in a college nursing program, but after one semester, she realized the structure of PASSION the program was too traditional for her. She knew shed benefit from a more practical learning experience. Thats when she found out that New England College (NEC) had partnered with CHHS to offer a 3-year BSN degree. In May, Berry graduated with the first cohort of nurses to complete the program. MEETS Whats different about the NEC/CHHS partnership is that each BSN student is paired with registered nurse preceptors, who serve as on-site clinical instructors to oversee their educational training. Students also work as LNAs and get paid for PRACTICE their work, 24 hours a week, while rotating through multiple clinical settings at the hospital. The goal is to accelerate the transition from academics to practice and increase the number of well-trained nurses.What drew me to it was that they would help you get a job at Concord Hospital, Berry says. They would help you get your LNA license and youd be working while learning.As an LNA, Haylay worked closely with nurses, caring for patients and learning how nurses and LNAs interact with one another. Not only did she learn the ropes while getting her education, but she also came to understand what tasks she could handle as a nurse versus what to delegate to LNAs, improving her teamwork and efficiency. Berry also developed foundational patient care skills before adding to the complexity of her responsibilities.I think every nurse should be an LNA first, Berry says. It made the healthcare world a little less scary because youre not doing some of this higher-level stuff, but youre still a healthcare worker. It was a great steppingstone.Armed with the confidence she gained through the program and an understanding of the hospital environment, with a special nod to one of her preceptors, Cori Corliss, Berry was hired right out of the NEC program by CH, where she now works primarily in the ED. Looking back on her experience, she appreciates the nontraditional, hands-on learning approach, which was a better fit for Berrys dive-right-in learning style, and the flexible format of online and in-person classes, combined with clinical rotations and the opportunity to gain experienceand earn moneyalongside experienced medical professionals, all while having a guaranteed path to employment.NEC/CHHS BSN Graduates The NEC/CHHS partnership is supported by funding from Beverly and Bob Grappone and the Concord Hospital Trust, which covers operational expenses and helps pay for the employment of LNAs and training for preceptors. Berry also appreciates CHHSs ongoing support for nurse education, including special certifications and access to the Forrest D. McKerley Simulation and Education Center. She describes the availability of on-site learning as an open-door, for which she is grateful. Despite knowing what she wanted to do with her life from an early age, Berry firmly believes that theNEC/CHHS partnership allowed her to turn aspiration into reality.I truly got lucky with it and not everybody gets this opportunity, so it makes me appreciative, Berry says. If I hadnt found this program, I don't think I would be a nurse.60 CONCORD HOSPITAL HEALTH SYSTEM |Financial Independence"