Colby-Sawyer College and HCA Healthcare have established a formal partnership designed to address healthcare workforce needs in New Hampshire.

HCA Healthcare is a leading healthcare provider in the United States and the United Kingdom, operating more than 180 hospitals and more than 2,300 sites of care. Its partnership with Colby-Sawyer College will focus specifically on the HCA New England Healthcare market: Portsmouth Regional Hospital in Portsmouth, Frisbie Memorial Hospital in Rochester, and Parkland Medical Center in Derry.

The partnership will expand the clinical opportunities for Colby-Sawyer nursing students to include clinical experiences at designated HCA Healthcare sites. Current nursing staff at the participating sites will have the opportunity to become clinical instructors for the Colby-Sawyer College nursing program. These nurses also will be able to advance their own careers in the health profession by enrolling in one of the college’s graduate programs.

“At HCA Healthcare, we strive to provide our staff with training and opportunities to advance their careers – whether that is taking the next step in their current field, or helping them launch new careers, such as a career in nursing,” said Dean M. Carucci, market president of HCA New England Healthcare. “This partnership with Colby-Sawyer College does both — it is helping us to provide education and training for students to earn their bachelor’s degree in nursing and helping our current nursing employees to obtain a master’s degree, giving them the opportunity to become clinical instructors at Colby-Sawyer College. So the benefit is two-fold, as it allows our current RNs to advance their own careers, while also preparing future nurses for the bedside.”

Colby-Sawyer is a dynamic and innovative liberal arts and sciences college located in the scenic Lake Sunapee Region of central New Hampshire. Through its School of Nursing & Health Sciences, the college offers accredited degree programs in nursing at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels: Bachelor of Science, Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Master of Science in Nursing (clinical nurse leader, nursing education, nursing management and executive leadership tracks) and Doctor of Nursing Practice. Beginning in the fall of 2024, the School of Nursing & Health Sciences will be housed in the Janet Udall Schaefer ’52 Center for Health Sciences, the college’s new $19 million, 20,500-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility.

“Our partnership with HCA Healthcare empowers Colby-Sawyer students to gain the clinical skills they need to succeed in today's healthcare environment. The collaboration enriches the college's network of clinical sites, offering students additional opportunities to apply their learning in practical settings,” said Eden Wales Freeman, Colby-Sawyer College’s academic vice president and dean of faculty. “HCA Healthcare employees will also benefit from affordable access to a first-class education to complete their ABSN or MSN degrees. Ultimately, the partnership underscores a collective dedication to excellence in healthcare education and serves as another step forward in Colby-Sawyer’s commitment to prepare students for the multifaceted demands of the healthcare industry.”