SUNY Offering Free Community College Tuition To Address Nursing Shortage

SUNY’s Reconnect program is aiming to address New York’s worker shortage by offering free community college tuition to adult learners for several industries – most notably nursing, which healthcare leaders say have faced shortages in recent years. The SUNY Reconnect program targets New York State residents between the ages of 25 and 55 who do not already have a college degree. The program has enrolled 5,600 students statewide, with 3,124 in the nursing program alone. The SUNY Reconnect program offers more than just nursing degrees. Monroe Community College participates in the program and offers free two-year degrees in computer science and information technology, construction technology and environmental sciences, and education studies. Rochester’s nursing union, RUNAP, sent the following statement regarding the SUNY Reconnect program, and efforts to limit the nursing shortage:

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We applaud the use of public resources for education and expanding access to the nursing field. However, the core issue is not a lack of people who want to be or are ready to be nurses – in fact Rochester has several nursing schools in the area and RGH  regularly recruits new graduates as well as experienced staff. 

Unsafe staffing and poor working conditions drive nurses away from RGH or the field altogether. While the improvements won by our union have resulted in an increase from 838 to 1,089 staff RNs at RGH since 2022, hundreds more are needed for truly safe staffing.

Retention is essential – in order to provide a safe environment, new nurses and healthcare workers across positions need to learn from experienced colleagues.

Source: WHEC- TV