Two programs, the Nursing Corps Initiative and No Worker Left Behind (NWLB), each offer prospective students unique opportunities to enroll in programs that will help them adapt to a new knowledge-based economy.
Master's and Ph. D students accepted in Nursing Corps are provided with tuition money and a stipend. In return for their participation in the 16-month accelerated nursing program, students must spend five years as nursing faculty in Michigan once they complete the program.
"I am very grateful for this opportunity from Wayne State," said Jessica Pastor, a Nursing Corps student and critical care nurse at Oakwood Hospital. "Providing people with financial assistance like this is a critical motivating factor in getting them back in school."
Pastor, who is from Brownstown, said that she is looking forward to next year, when she will become eligible to be a nursing faculty member.
"The instructors here have been great," said Pastor. "I would love the opportunity to be able to come back and be on faculty at Wayne State."
Twenty students in the master's program and six students in the Ph.D. program are enrolled in Nursing Corps. Five of the master's students are slated for graduation after the Fall 2009 semester.
Two years ago, Timothy Corcoran, a Clinton Township resident, decided to start a new career path. While he worked as an automotive engineer for most of his life, he knew that the industry was experiencing problems. He decided to enroll in science classes to fulfill the necessary prerequisite courses so he could eventually enter nursing school.
About a year later, Corcoran was laid off from his job at GM. Corcoran then researched the No Worker Left Behind program from Michigan Works! and found out that he qualified. NWLB offers applicants the opportunity to receive tuition money from the state and the opportunity to be trained in emerging industries.
"At that point, I had already earned nearly all of my prerequisite credits for nursing school," said Corcoran.
The timing would prove to be critical to Corcoran and his family.
"My wife was laid off right around the time that I was admitted into the program," said Corcoran. "Luckily, it wasn't long after that that I was also admitted into Wayne State's College of Nursing."
Corcoran will start this fall after being admitted into the College of Nursing's Second Career/Second Degree (CD2) Program, which offers applicants the opportunity to earn a second bachelor's degree.
Wayne State University is a premier urban research university offering more than 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to more than 31,000 students.