Wright State University and Premier Health Nursing Academy create nursing career pathway

Wright State University and Premier Health Nursing Academy have created an affordable and accessible pathway for students to enter directly into nursing employment. Premier Health will provide nursing students with tuition assistance and the opportunity to get acclimated with Premier Health’s policies and workplaces while they work as paid part-time employees while still enrolled at Wright State University.

According to an article on Wright State University’s website, Mallon Briggerman, who is a workforce and talent development business partner at Premier Health, was quoted as saying of the program, “By connecting students with meaningful healthcare experiences early in their academic journey, Premier is able to develop and retain this talent while helping address critical workforce needs across our organization.”

The Premier Health Wright State University Nursing Academy allows students to take the same courses as other nursing students at Wright State University while also preparing for employment with Premier Health. Students in the academy will be able to receive up to $8,000 in tuition assistance from Premier Health while they complete nursing courses at Wright State University and serve as paid part-time employees at a Premier Health location. This gives students the opportunity to prepare for full-time employment at Premier Health while still in school and becoming familiar with the organization’s policies and protocols.

Lillian Currey is a 2026 graduate of the Premier Health Wright State University Nursing Academy who is currently employed as a new graduate nurse in the Emergency Department at Atrium Medical Center. Speaking of her experience in the program, Currey said, “Remaining in the Dayton area to serve this community was extremely important to me. I also wanted to begin my nursing career with an organization where I could continue learning, gain experience and be encouraged to grow both personally and professionally. By working at Premier Health through the program, I became familiar with their environment, equipment, workflows and patient interactions, while also building confidence and developing relationships. With support from my managers, encouragement to pursue professional development and being advocated for as both a student and a professional, I saw how Premier invests in their employees’ growth and development. As someone who has paid for their own education, the program significantly reduced my financial burden. Looking back, if the academy had existed when I first began at Wright State, I would have graduated debt-free.”

When combining the $8,000 in tuition assistance from Premier Health and Wright State University scholarships and financial aid, a nursing degree becomes more accessible to more individuals, opening up the ability to become a nurse to those who may not have thought it possible.

Bethany DeLong, who serves as the director of enrollment and retention in the College of Health, Education, and Human Services, said, “Affordability is a key consideration for many students and families when making decisions about higher education. The financial support provided by these programs makes pursuing a nursing degree more accessible and helps students see a career in healthcare as an achievable goal.”

In addition to the undergraduate nursing academy, the university and Premier Health have expanded their partnership to create a graduate-level Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) Academy. Participants in this nursing academy will be able to pursue either adult-gerontology acute care or family nurse practitioner concentrations, which are among Premier Health’s highest needs.

For more information about Wright State University, visit the school’s website.