MedEx Academy Nursing Scholars
The Prisma Health Nursing Scholars program is a pilot nursing recruitment program to help combat South Carolina's critical nursing shortage. The program builds on the strength of Prisma Health’s nationally recognized MedEx Academy, which helps high school and college students explore and pursue healthcare careers.
This innovative program includes scholarships and increased access to clinical experiences and mentorship for nursing students in their junior and senior years. The program also will fund:
- additional advisor positions
- adding educational and student-success resources within those schools
- creating a collaborative approach that partners employers and educators
- expanding the hiring pipeline from the state’s nursing schools to Prisma Health hospitals.
As many as 210 nursing students statewide from the following colleges or universities could benefit from the pilot program: Clemson University, Greenville Technical College, Midlands Technical College, University of South Carolina, and University of South Carolina Upstate.
For more information, email NursingAcademics@PrismaHealth.org.
A few words from our partner institutions:
“Clemson is proud to participate in the Prisma Health Nursing Scholars program as we partner with Prisma and these other excellent nursing programs to positively impact health outcomes across the state of South Carolina. This new initiative will build upon our relationship with Prisma Health - one which has enabled Clemson to double its nursing undergraduate program since 2018 - and continue to enable Clemson’s top students to become health providers in our state.”
- Dr. Bob Jones, Executive Vice President and Provost, Clemson University
“Prisma Health is one of the top employers of Greenville Technical College students. We are excited to grow our workforce development efforts in connection with one of our strongest partners through a grant program that specifically addresses the nursing shortage. This effort is aimed at giving our students early access to flexible financial support for enrolled scholars and professional mentoring and development from Prisma Health’s onsite advising and training team. With a seamless track for scholars to grow their clinical knowledge and professional identity and qualify for employment as a registered nurse at Prisma Health, this partnership will have a lasting positive impact on healthcare in our community.”
- Dr. Larry Miller, Vice President of Learning and Workforce Development, Greenville Technical College
"Nursing is a very difficult profession, so clinical experience and mentorships are critical for building a strong foundation that is necessary for professionals to thrive for their entire careers. We are grateful for Prisma Health’ss support of our students and faculty as we work through this growing deficit of nurses."
- Yvette Price, Nursing Department Chair, Midlands Technical College
“UofSC College of Nursing is preparing and graduating new nurses to enter the workforce who are well-prepared to meet South Carolina's healthcare needs. We thank Prisma Health for their commitment to provide our students with opportunities during their training and after graduation.”
- Dr. Jeannette O. Andrews, Dean of the College of Nursing, University of South Carolina
“There are a lot of facilities and clinical sites that need nurses right now. Being able to make that transition into practice much easier and more streamlined is a benefit to not only the student but also the facility. The scholarships help support student success and progression toward degree completion because they allow students to work less and focus more on their education.”
- Dr. Shirleatha Lee, Dean of Mary Black College of Nursing, University of South Carolina Upstate