Central Illinois Nursing Initiative (CINI): Expanding capacity and educational articulation for rapid nursing workforce development

Sangamon County Community Foundation

The Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, St. John’s Hospital, Memorial Health Systems, Kindred Hospital, Benedictine University, St. John’s College of Nursing, Lincoln Land Community College, The Springfield Urban League

John Stremsterfer, Executive Director, Sangamon County Community Foundation, stremsterfer@sccf.us, 217-789-4431

Stacy Reed, Program Director, Sangamon County Community Foundation, reed@sccf.us, 217-789-4431

Mikal Sutton-Vereen, Program Director, PIN/CINI, mvereen@gscc.org, 217-525-1173

Cynthia Maskey, MS, CNE, RN, Professor, Associate Degree Nursing, Associate Dean, Lincoln Land Community College, cynthia.maskey@llcc.edu, 217-786-2436

Marsha Prater, PhD, RN, CNAA, FACHE, Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, Memorial Health System, prater.marsha@mhsil.com, 217-788-3000

Brief Project Synopsis: 

The CINI project will address diversity, educational infrastructure, faculty development, collaboration and leadership development.  The three nursing programs in the community prepare students at the ADN, RN-BSN, and traditional BSN program.  CINI will expand the ADN program to alleviate the growing waiting list for admission, add an accelerated second degree BSN program to attract students with established roots in the community who are more likely to stay and work here, add a master’s level program to prepare nurses for faculty positions, and improve diversity with underrepresented groups in all areas. Creating these new programs will allow for efficient movement through the academic ladder.  Development of marketing and mentoring programs will result in attracting, admission, and employment of an increased number of students from underrepresented groups.

This is an original approach for the community because for the first known time, competing health care employers, education institutions, and other community leaders have agreed that they need to work in unison to make significant progress toward solving the nursing shortage.  It will also mark the first time that the non-health care private sector is leading an initiative focused on nursing, and one focused on increasing the number of underrepresented individuals. 

Project Goals and Objectives:

CINI is designed to align nursing education opportunities to decrease waiting lists, create new programs, and establish seamless articulation between programs, with the goal of rapidly increasing the nursing workforce.  Capacity expansion will be realized through:

1) A weekend ADN section,

2) Creation of an accelerated second degree BSN program

3) Partnerships to provide new clinical rotation sites

4) An RN-MSN program. 

CINI will also develop and implement a marketing plan to:

• Increase interest, enrollment and employment of under-represented groups in the nursing field.
• Identify non-teaching master’s prepared nurses in the community
• Encourage non-practicing nurses to re-enter the field