Pipeline to Providence latest partnership for Institute; half-dozen expected to be finalized by end of year

The MGH Institute’s School of Nursing program is all about building clinical expertise, careers, and partnerships. Now, you can add pipelines to the list, specifically, student pipelines. 

MGH Institute President Paula Milone-Nuzzo, PhD, RN, FHHC, FAAN, and Providence College President Rev. Kenneth R. Sicard, O.P., signed a formal agreement on Friday that creates a seamless route for graduates of Providence College’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program to enter the Institute’s Master of Science in Nursing program to become nurse practitioners. The signing ceremony took place at the Ben Mondor Center for Nursing and Health Sciences on the campus of Providence College. 

“What excites me most about this relationship is sure, it's the nursing piece,” said Milone-Nuzzo, “but it's built on the synergy with our core values. Your focus on academic excellence, community service for the public good, and the search for truth, are all the values that we embrace at the IHP.”

Under the terms of the Direct Admission Agreement, graduates in good standing will have guaranteed access to the Institute. Once here, students will take classes on the Navy Yard campus and take part in clinical placements throughout the Mass General Brigham system. 

“This agreement affirms our belief that institutions, working together, can accomplish more than they could ever accomplish alone,” Father Sicard told the audience. “And by joining forces with Mass General's IHP, we are creating a bridge between education and practice, between aspiration and action. We are offering our students a chance to grow in knowledge and wisdom while serving in some of the most respected healthcare settings in the country. We are also reaffirming our belief that excellence in care begins with excellence in education.”

Students will be able to choose between part-time and full-time study, with most Providence College graduates expected to enroll part-time while working within the Mass General Brigham system.

"This new and exciting partnership between the IHP and Providence College aligns our mission of service and health equity through education of nurses wanting to become Nurse Practitioners,” said MGH Institute School of Nursing Dean Maura Abbott, PhD, AOCNP, CPNP-PC&AC, FAAN. “This partnership will continue to grow the nursing workforce and increase healthcare access in our local and regional communities, while serving some of society's most vulnerable populations."

“Our nursing students are called to lead and to serve, and this partnership supports them in answering that call,” said Kyle McInnis, Sc.D., founding dean of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences. “Through advanced study at MGH Institute of Health Professions, they will be on a clear pathway to becoming nurse practitioners, gaining the clinical skills and experience needed to make a meaningful impact on patients and the healthcare workforce. As the first agreement of its kind between Providence College and MGH IHP, it strengthens both institutions while setting a new standard for preparing the next generation of nursing leaders.”

Addressing a Need

For Milone-Nuzzo, the partnership meets a core value of both institutions — service to community. She pointed to data showing that this year alone, 30,000 people in Rhode Island lost their primary care provider. 

“We have a responsibility to support the development of nurse practitioners as primary care providers for all of our communities because we know the consequences of not having primary care are great,” noted the Institute president. “We are doing the work that both of our organizations are designed to do and should do as part of our mission in healthcare delivery. It's our responsibility to provide this service for our communities, and I'm so glad that we have partnered with Providence College to be able to do that.”

Providence College is one of several schools that are entering into pathway agreements with the Institute. Suffolk University has signed an agreement and a handful more will be finalized by the end of the year. Some schools are focusing solely on nursing while others are availing their students to all programs offered by the MGH Institute. 

“I think it speaks to our prominence in the market relevant to health professions,” said Kevin Finn, Associate Provost for Student Affairs and Dean of Students. “These schools want their students to come to their institution and get trained at the undergraduate level, and they can be ready for graduate health professions education. That’s where they see the value in this space. I think it's a huge sell for the IHP to say these schools value us in the market as a premier graduate health professions program that we can create a pipeline for their students.”

The pipeline for Providence College’s nursing graduates is set to matriculate in the fall of 2027.

“The nurses who emerge from this collaboration will be more than practitioners. They will be healers who understand the sanctity of their work,” summed up Father Sicard. “They will care for the whole person, recognizing that every patient is a child of God, deserving of dignity, respect, and hope. 

“They will bring light into moments of suffering and strength, into systems that need renewal, they will be equipped, not only with the tools of modern medicine, but with the wisdom and empathy that define truly transformative care.”