June 16, 2008
South Puget Sound Community College’s nominees win TACTC award
Capital Medical Center and Providence St. Peter Hospital, which were nominated by the South Puget Sound Community College Board of Trustees, have been selected as the Trustees Association of Community and Technical Colleges’ Partners of the Year.
South Puget Sound has partnered with Providence St. Peter Hospital since 1962. Among its contributions to the college, the hospital has raised funds for student scholarships, provided learning and employment opportunities for nursing students, and made in-kind donations of equipment to the Nursing Program. In addition, the hospital sends its current employees to the college for further training and hires graduates from the program.
Capital Medical Center joined the partnership in 2005. This helped lead to an agreement to expand the college’s Nursing Program. The two hospitals fund up to 36 additional enrollment slots, which are open to qualified employees seeking to become registered nurses. If all of the spots are not filled by employees of the hospitals, members of the community may apply for the unfilled positions. Capital Medical Center also hires graduates from the Nursing Program.
Through their partnership, the college and the hospitals are helping address the national shortage of nurses. Currently, 8.5 percent of nursing positions in the United States go unfilled, and that number is expected to triple by 2020.
The TACTC Partner of the Year award recognizes a collective (corporate) business, company, agency or organization for donating time and/or resources in support of the community and technical college mission.