Radford University School of Nursing Launches Preceptorship Program with Universal Health Corporation

The Radford University School of Nursing has partnered with Universal Health Corp. to provide clinical placements and hours for graduate students enrolled in the Family Nurse Practitioner programs (M.S.N. and D.N.P.). The collaboration will provide opportunities for Family Nurse Practitioner students to obtain clinical experience at Universal Health locations across Virginia.

Peyton Gadjelov, Radford University’s clinical resource coordinator for the Family Nurse Practitioner programs, believes the partnership will alleviate the ongoing challenges of finding clinical hours and make the university a more competitive choice for nursing school applicants.

“Unlike Radford, many schools don’t offer assistance with securing clinical hours,” Gadjelov said. “Because Universal Health has so many locations throughout the state, we can place students near their homes to save them hours of commuting time.”

This expansion of clinical opportunities is especially important for Family Nurse Practitioner students, many of whom are working registered nurses who need the flexibility to complete the program while maintaining their current employment. The clinicals are a vital part of the program’s curriculum, with students completing about 50 hours of coursework during their eight semesters in the program and over 605 hours of clinical experiences.

In addition, the chance to work in Universal Health locations can lead to employment opportunities for graduates of the Family Nurse Practitioner program.

“Upon their graduation and licensure, we would love to offer successful program participants a position within our own practice,” said Joseph Park, Universal’s vice president of marketing and business development.

Universal Health President Alfonso Brochero, M.D., said the program will help both students and providers.

“Getting nurse practitioners trained in the post-acute and long-term care environment will supply incoming prospective providers with access to intimate knowledge of industry regulations and capabilities, slowly but surely improving our industry’s clinical standards and contributing to a provider’s success,” Brochero said.

The collaboration has positive long-term implications for the future, considering the growing needs of healthcare in general and the growing population of older patients in the region and beyond. Universal Healthcare specializes in geriatric post-acute and long-term care. Founded in 2012, the company’s team of healthcare professionals works with patients to lower readmissions, reduce the need for medication and provide comprehensive on-site treatment.

“We are very pleased to be partnering with Universal Health Corp.,” added Radford University’s Interim Program Coordinator, Judy Jenks, D.N.P., FNP-BC. “The learning opportunities will be invaluable for nurse practitioner students transitioning to care for similar patients in the public sector upon graduation."

More information about Universal Health Corp. is available on its website.