Oakland University's School of Nursing and William Beaumont Hospitals signed an agreement Wednesday, January 31, that will enhance the recruitment and training of new nurses through collaborative educational, research and community efforts.

"This agreement will provide our School of Nursing students with professional, educational and personal enrichment through clinical placements at the Beaumont Hospitals," said Gary R. Russi, president, Oakland University. "Our nursing students will benefit greatly from the expertise of the Beaumont staff and will take what they learn through this association into a marketplace that is badly in need of nurses."

The three-year agreement will allow Oakland University to preferentially place nursing students at Beaumont facilities to obtain their clinical training and provide opportunities for Beaumont nurses to enhance their professional growth through learning experiences at the university.

The collaboration also calls for joint nursing recruitment activities to increase nursing school admissions, including nursing loans, scholarships and internships, and public relations efforts to enhance the image of nursing as an attractive career.

In addition, Beaumont and Oakland University will collaborate on nursing research projects aimed at enhancing patient care and will work together on outreach initiatives to improve community health.

"Through this agreement with Oakland University, we'll be in a position to ensure that our patients continue to receive the highest quality of care," said Ted D. Wasson, Beaumont president and chief executive officer. "We'll be working together to increase the number of students who enter the field of nursing, to ensure that the health care needs of our community continue to be met now and in future years."

In 1991, Oakland University and Beaumont established the Oakland University/Beaumont Graduate Program of Nurse Anesthesia to meet community needs for nurse anesthetists. More than 75 nurse anesthetists have graduated from this program that offers the only Master of Science in Nursing degree in the state.

Oakland University is a comprehensive state-supported institution of higher education located in Oakland County, Mich. The university has 110 bachelor's degree programs and 63 graduate degree and certificate programs. Dedicated to preparing learners for the 21st-century workplace and society, Oakland University is organized into the College of Arts and Sciences and the Schools of Business Administration, Education and Human Services, Engineering and Computer Science, Health Sciences, Nursing and the Honors College.

Beaumont includes more than 1,300 private-practice physicians, two hospitals with five medical office buildings, a rehabilitation and health center, primary and specialty care clinics, five extended care centers, a research institute, home care, a hospice and a fund-raising foundation. Beaumont's 929-bed hospital in Royal Oak is a major teaching and referral center with Level I trauma designation. It ranks among the five top hospitals in the nation for its number of admissions and surgeries. Beaumont's 189-bed acute care facility in Troy is among the nation's leading community hospitals. A search committee for a new dean of SECS will be appointed by the end of February.