“Our partnership with Mercy is designed to increase access to higher education by allowing Clark State nursing students who work at Mercy Health to pursue advanced degrees and certifications while distributing tuition payments over an extended period of time,” said Scott Dolan, dean of health, human, and public services.
“By lessening the financial burden, students can pursue their academic and career goals while managing educational costs more effectively,” he said. “The benefits contribute to a more equitable and supportive educational environment, opening doors to students to pursue careers beyond nursing, such as medical lab technicians, phlebotomists, respiratory therapists, medical assistants and radiology imaging specialists.”
Maintaining staffing levels for nurses and other medical personnel has been an ongoing workforce concern in Ohio as an aging population seeks services.
This program will allow tuition payments to be spread out over more time to ease the financial burden of higher payments in shorter amounts of time. Students can use financial aid for the program if they qualify, or pay out-of-pocket, said Melissa Anderson, manager of student accounts.
Participants will also have access to Mercy Health’s Internal Mobility team, which offers guidance and support throughout their career journeys.
“We created this partnership because Clark State has had a working relationship with Mercy Health for years, and we hoped that this would encourage more employees to further their education and help to bridge the gap of a financial barrier that the students might have,” Anderson said.
The deferred tuition can be applied by Mercy employees to all Clark State allied health science programs including registered nursing, practical nursing certificates, diagnostic medical sonography, general transfer associate degree, and RN to LPN.
Anderson said two students are currently using this new program.
There are 815 registered nursing students in the fall 2024 nursing program, and 367 of those have been accepted into clinical classes.
Those interested in this program should contact Mercy Health HR to confirm eligibility.
Enrollment in Clark State’s spring and summer terms has begun, with spring semester starting Jan. 13. Those interested can start the enrollment process at www.clarkstate.edu or by calling 937-328-6028.
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