Miami introduces new programs, partnerships in health education
Students will have access to a new nursing curriculum, degree program and early assurance into the Northeast Ohio Medical University.
Miami University is partnering with the Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) to “strengthen” the nursing pipeline between students and northeast Ohio healthcare providers, according to a news release.
The university announced following a board of trustees meeting on Dec. 12 it would be introducing a 24-month nursing curriculum intensive program for students pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
The curriculum, called the Northeast Ohio Nursing Program, is expected to begin in the fall 2027 semester and will offer several entry points.
Direct admission to the program may be offered to transfer students or qualified high school students following the completion of Ohio Transfer 36 coursework and required nursing prerequisites. Students may also enter the program through a direct admission to the Oxford campus and a planned transition to NEOMED.
Students who enroll in the program will study in the Cleveland metro area and complete clinical rotations with healthcare partners in the region, according to the release.
Miami’s Senior Director of Communications Seth Bauguess told the Oxford Free Press in an email, students will receive instruction with Miami nursing faculty in Northeast Ohio as part of a regional collaborative covering the Cleveland, Akron and Canton metro areas of which NEOMED is part. The location in which students receive instruction will vary depending on their class, curriculum and location of clinical rotations.
The board of trustees also approved a new Master of Education degree program during its meeting on Dec. 12 as part of the educational psychology department in the College of Education, Health and Society, which will now go to the Ohio Department of Higher Education for approval.
Clinical pathways and early assurance
In early November, Miami announced a partnership with NEOMED and The Christ Hospital Health Network to establish pathways to train physicians for a medical career in Ohio, according to a news release.
The university cited a projected shortage of primary care doctors over the next decade using data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
During an academic and student affairs committee meeting of the board of trustees on Dec. 11, Ande Durojaiye, vice president for strategy and partnerships, said representatives of the university asked its partners at the Cleveland Clinic and another unnamed healthcare group about its demand for nurses and concluded around 4,000 nurses could be hired to collectively meet their needs.
“So to say there is a critical need is a huge, huge understatement,” he said.
Durojaiye, vice president for strategy and partnerships, said representatives of Miami have been working with a team from NEOMED for the past year and half, which has “really opened our eyes to the world of medical education with the opportunities here within our state,” he said.
He said the university also realized it’s currently limited in its options for clinical placements for students.
The university said in the release, “Together, NEOMED, The Christ Hospital Health Network, and Miami University are addressing today’s critical need for more healthcare professionals to improve the health of Ohioans.”
NEOMED and Miami are also planning to launch an early-assurance program for undergraduate students interested in attending the NEOMED College of Medicine, according to the release. Qualified undergraduate students could have conditional early acceptance into the school, according to the release, although it is unclear when this program would begin.
Durojaiye said there are currently about six to 10 students each year who graduate from Miami and are admitted NEOMED. Through the early assurance program, he said students from the university would be guaranteed 10 slots each year.
Medical campus
The ultimate goal of the partnerships, Durojaiye said, is to have a full-fledged medical campus in Oxford in the fall of 2028.
“Over the next three years, we got a lot of work to do, so we’re excited about that,” he said.
But a new satellite campus is not definite, as Bauguess told the Oxford Free Press in an email both phases of Miami’s medical education partnership with NEOMED remain “conceptual” at this stage.
“NEOMED and Miami are continuing discussions to explore potential opportunities, such as NEOMED establishing a satellite Medical School campus in Southwest Ohio in collaboration with Miami and The Christ Hospitals Health Network of Cincinnati,” Bauguess said in the email, “but no decisions have been made and no final commitments extended.”
