Portsmouth Regional Hospital Welcomes New England College Nursing Students Who Will Earn While They Learn
Cohort of 20 students will supplement classroom learning with real-world experience while working as paid LNAs in the hospital setting.
Portsmouth Regional Hospital hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday, May 6, to welcome its first cohort of nursing students from New England College (NEC). The cohort of 20 students is enrolled in NEC’s three-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. This program uniquely allows students to earn while they learn by combining traditional classroom learning with paid immersive cooperative clinical experiences at partner hospitals throughout New Hampshire. The partnership between NEC and Portsmouth Regional Hospital, part of the HCA Healthcare family of healthcare services, was announced in January.
NEC President Wayne Lesperance, far left, joins nursing students and Portsmouth Regional Hospital staff at the ribbon-cutting celebrating the hospital’s cohort of 20 NEC nursing students who begin their clinical experiences in May.
“NEC’s nursing program is such an amazing opportunity for anybody looking to start a career in nursing, and it’s just the start of an endless amount of opportunities for a nursing career,” stated Elizabeth Vicnaire, a nursing student in the Portsmouth cohort. “It was a great experience to attend the formal ribbon cutting to kick off Portsmouth’s first set of nursing students attending the hospital. The staff was very kind and helpful and made everyone feel very welcome.”
During three paid immersive clinical experiences, NEC nursing students work as licensed nursing assistants (LNAs) alongside experienced nurse preceptors and NEC faculty, gaining real-world experience that accelerates their training and enables them to graduate in three years instead of four.
“We could not be more pleased with the growth of the earn-while-you-learn model of our nursing program—now at 118 students—and establishment of partnerships with high-quality healthcare facilities,” added Dr. Wayne F. Lesperance Jr., President of New England College. “Together, NEC and Portsmouth Regional Hospital will develop the next generation of skilled nurses in the Seacoast of New Hampshire.”
NEC will be part of four additional cohort kickoff events this summer: Cheshire Medical Center in Keene on May 20, Elliot Hospital in Manchester on May 22, Parkland Medical Center in Derry on June 3, and Concord Hospital—Laconia on June 5. Learn more about NEC’s three-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
About New England College
Founded in 1946, New England College (NEC) was established to serve the needs of servicemen and women attending college on the GI Bill after World War II. Today, it serves over 5,000 undergraduate, graduate and online students annually. NEC offers more than 50 associate and bachelor’s degree programs, more than 10 master’s degree programs and a doctoral program, all delivered by dedicated and accomplished faculty in the liberal arts tradition and with an emphasis on experiential learning. NEC is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.
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