Medical/Nursing/Allied Health Education

Bridgeport Hospital is addressing the growing shortage of healthcare professionals by its continuing commitment to training new physicians, nurses and other allied health professionals. In FY 2007:

• Bridgeport Hospital provides postgraduate residency training in Emergency Medicine, General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Obstetrics/Gynecology and Radiology, and fellowships in Cardiology, Gastroenterology and Pulmonary Medicine. More than 110 new physicians participated in these programs in FY 2007 and 27 graduated. The cost of providing Graduate Medial Education at the Hospital exceeded Medicare reimbursement by $3,184,694.
• The United States is in the midst of a nursing shortage that is expected to intensify as baby boomers age and the need for healthcare grows. Compounding the problem is the fact that nursing colleges and universities across the country are struggling to expand enrollment levels to meet the rising demand for nursing care. The Bridgeport Hospital School of Nursing continued to offer 18-month accelerated and two-year registered nurse diploma programs. Ninety students graduated from these programs during the 2006–2007 academic year. Nearly 500 applications were received for the fall 2007 semester. Full-cost scholarships were provided to 182 nursing students during the year at a cost of $562,000. Additional scholarships were provided by the Bridgeport Hospital Foundation at a total cost of $72,000.

• A shortage of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs), is affecting the delivery of healthcare to a significant portion of the United States. CRNAs provide anesthesia in collaboration with surgeons, anesthesiologists, dentists, podiatrists and other qualified healthcare professionals. To help address this shortage, the Bridgeport Hospital-Fairfield University Nurse Anesthesia Program graduated eight nurses from the program in FY 2007, with enrollment in the program expected to grow steadily in FY 2008 and beyond. This is the only program in Connecticut to offer a master’s degree in nursing with a certificate in nurse anesthesia, which provides a more solid foundation for the evolving role of nurse anesthetists.
• The Hospital continued its relationship with Harding High School, an inner city school populated largely by underserved students, by leading an Allied Health Program that exposes students to career opportunities in the healthcare field.
• Bridgeport Hospital offers a nationally-certified full-and part-time Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Programs that provide pastoral care instruction in the hospital setting to community clergy and religious laypeople. More than a dozen people completed the CPE programs in FY 2007.