Recruitment & Retention Remains a Priority at Oswego Health With a National Shortage of RNs, Oswego Health Offers Unique Incentives for Providing Care Locally

Posted on May 5, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                 Contact: Jamie Leszczynski
                                                                                                                                                (315) 349-5601
                                                                                                                                                jleszczynski@oswegohealth.org      

 

Recruitment & Retention Remains a Priority at Oswego Health   
With a National Shortage of RNs, Oswego Health Offers Unique Incentives for Providing Care Locally

(Oswego, NY – May 3, 2021) The American Association of Colleges of Nursing shared recently that “the U.S. is projected to experience a shortage of Registered Nurses (RNs) that is expected to intensify as Baby Boomers age and the need for health care grows. Compounding the problem is the fact that nursing schools across the country are struggling to expand capacity to meet the rising demand for care given the national move toward healthcare reform.” 

Ranked among the top 5% in the nation for patient safety, often a tagline used in their recruitment efforts, Oswego Health is stepping up this year in particular in their recruitment and retention efforts and thinking “outside the box” to offer unique perks to their employees to entice healthcare workers to provide care locally, including:

The RN Tuition Assistance program is offered to current employees at Oswego Health looking to advance their training as a Registered Nurse. The program will reimburse employees up to $10,000 per year as they look to earn their Advanced Degree in Nursing, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, or Master of Science in Nursing.

“We know firsthand that a highly-educated nursing workforce strengthens the quality of care provided to patients,” stated Vice President of Human Resources, Marquand Brown. “Since launching this program at the start of 2020 we’ve already had nineteen employees receive tuition assistance, totaling over $75,000 in funding towards their education.

Among those who recently graduated and participated in the program, Stacy Steven shares “when the RN Tuition Assistance program became available, I was already halfway through receiving my Associates in Nursing. Honestly, I was just going to power through, but this program gave me much-needed financial relief. I saved so much money and headache by not having to take out a personal loan. This program is such a benefit for anyone who wants to grow in their career while working.”

Another new program just recently launched at Oswego Health is an Emergency Services Residency. This program offers on-the-job training for Graduate Nurses through a 12-month residency with a 3-month critical care rotation.  Throughout the fully compensated residency, candidates will have 150+ hours of classroom education including pharmacology, IV therapy, telemetry, critical care, TNCC, and ENCP, all with Structured clinical orientation with experienced preceptors.  The program offers the opportunity to advance from a GN to RN2 at the completion of residency.

“As a small community healthcare system our employees have opportunities for advancement across varying divisions, however, we knew we needed to identify programs that would personally benefit employees,” shared Director of Nursing, Melissa Purtell. “Whether that be helping to support their continuing education through tuition assistance or the experience of a residency program right out of college.”

Oswego Health has already had five employees complete the residency program.  

Recent residency graduate, Josh Pritchard, shares "During the program, I was able to experience several areas from maternity to behavioral health. This experience was critical to understanding how the health system works and truly provides me with a unique perspective in caring for my patients in the ED.”

New employees or those interested in working for Oswego Health are eligible to apply at www.oswegohealth.org

 

Photo Captions:

{1} (Participants left to right) Paige Blum, Jennifer Fassano, Josh Pritchard, Mitchal Pettit currently work in the Emergency Department at Oswego Health and participated in the Emergency Services Residency Program.

 

# # #

 

 

Other Member News

2025 Central New York Real Estate Conference
October 21, 2025

2025 Central New York Real Estate Conference

This one-day event offers unparalleled opportunities for networking, lead generation, and brand visibility—whether through attending, tabling, or sponsoring.

October 20, 2025

Springbrook Expands in Central New York with New Syracuse Office

The expansion marks an exciting milestone in Springbrook’s ongoing mission to provide exceptional, person-centered support across the state.

Warm, hearty meals for casual friendly get-togethers
October 17, 2025

Fulton Dining and Activity Center Menu

Reservations are encouraged and bussing is available from participants homes to the center.

Oswego Jiu Jitsu & The Mix Women's Self-Defense Seminar
October 15, 2025

Oswego Jiu Jitsu & The Mix Women's Self-Defense Seminar

Find out more information and register here.

October 15, 2025

Join SUNY Oswego for A Showcase of Innovation, Collaboration and Impact!

RSVP to join us on October 23-24, 2025 at SUNY Oswego for any or all of the following four free events.

BCBS
October 14, 2025

Excellus BCBS 2026 Enrollment

Three simple steps to finding your new plan for 2026.

Shoulder Pain? Join SOS for a Virtual Community Talk on November 12 2025
October 14, 2025

SOS to Host Virtual Community Talk: “Your Shoulder Health: Exploring Arthritis Care and Surgical Advances”

The goal of the webinar is to empower patients and caregivers with evidence-based information, demystify the treatment process, and provide a forum for questions.

John Huhtala
October 7, 2025

Tompkins Community Bank Welcomes Commercial Banking Regional Manager

Huhtala, a 28-year industry veteran known for his leadership, mentorship and community engagement, will lead operations with the goal of driving growth and value for the bank’s clients.

shake shack pic
October 7, 2025

Shake Shack Grand Opening in DeWitt

We will be donating $1 from every burger and chicken sandwich purchased to the Food Bank of Central New York.