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SearchInitiative aims to recruit and train clinical faculty to address nursing educator shortage across Northeast Ohio — helping to reduce student waitlists and support increased enrollment in nursing programs
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The Cuyahoga County Healthcare Sector Partnership, in collaboration with Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals, is launching the Nursing Clinical Adjunct Faculty Initiative — an innovative program aimed at expanding the region’s nursing education capacity and addressing the national nursing educator shortage.
Funded by Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals, the initiative will draw from the health systems’ experienced clinical nursing staff to identify and train individuals to serve as adjunct faculty. Participants will attend intensive clinical faculty boot camps, beginning in summer 2025, to prepare for teaching roles that support hands-on clinical training for nursing students.
“We are addressing a critical barrier to expanding the nursing workforce: the shortage of qualified clinical faculty. By utilizing the exceptional talent already present in our hospitals and schools, this initiative creates a connection between education and practice,” said Corbyn Martz, Director of the Healthcare Sector Partnership, New Bridge Cleveland, Cuyahoga County Workforce Connect. “It serves as a strong example of what can be achieved when health systems, educators, and workforce partners collaborate to develop sustainable, long-term solutions.”
Efforts to develop the initiative began in 2024 as a collaborative response to clinical faculty shortages in nursing education. The Healthcare Sector Partnership, Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals teamed up to engage 16 regional schools of nursing, creating the foundation for the program.
“This initiative is bringing everyone to the table to build a sustainable solution to a national challenge,” said Lisa Baszynski, DNP, RN, NE-BC, Executive Director, Associate Chief Nursing Officer, Nursing Education and Professional Development at Cleveland Clinic. “It’s not just about filling roles — it’s about transforming how we prepare the next generation of nurses.”
While the current focus is on increasing the number of nurse educators, this marks the first phase of a long-term strategy to strengthen the healthcare workforce, especially for other hard-to-fill roles, using solutions that can be sustained in years to come.
“This collaboration with practice and academic partners aims not only to increase the number of available nursing clinical adjunct faculty, but also to enhance the quality of education delivered,” said Holly Ma, DNP, MS, RN, NPD-BC, Marian Shaughnessy Endowed Vice President of Nursing Professional Development, Practice and Research at University Hospitals.
Key goals of the initiative include:
Upcoming Boot Camp Dates:
The Healthcare Sector Partnership is a collaboration among hospitals in Cuyahoga County. It works with partners in workforce development and education to address both short- and long-term talent needs. In addition to Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals, the partnership includes MetroHealth and Southwest General and is coordinated by New Bridge Cleveland and New Growth Group.
To learn more about the Nursing Clinical Adjunct Faculty Initiative, including eligibility and registration, visit https://cchsp.org/initiatives/nursing-clinical-adjunct-faculty/.
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Launched in August 2020 by the Cuyahoga County Workforce Funders Group (CCWFG) — a partnership of public, private, and philanthropic funders working collectively to drive systems change in workforce development — the employer-led Workforce Connect Healthcare Sector Partnership (HSP) is dedicated to addressing critical shortages of healthcare talent in Cuyahoga County. The HSP works collaboratively with major hospital systems, including Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth, University Hospitals, and Southwest General, to develop strategies and solutions that meet both immediate and long-term workforce needs. By improving collaboration, coordination, and impact across the education, training, and workforce ecosystem, the HSP aims to build clear and actionable career pathways to occupations that offer family-sustaining wages. This effort is rooted in a commitment to expanding economic opportunity for job seekers and reducing disparities in economic outcomes. New Bridge Cleveland, along with the New Growth Group, serves as the HSP intermediary, facilitating, convening, and coordinating partnership activities. As the initiative evolves, the HSP plans to engage additional healthcare employers to broaden its impact.
Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. Cleveland Clinic is consistently recognized in the U.S. and throughout the world for its expertise and care. Among Cleveland Clinic’s 82,600 employees worldwide are more than 5,786 salaried physicians and researchers, and 20,700 registered nurses and advanced practice providers, representing 140 medical specialties and subspecialties. Cleveland Clinic is a 6,728-bed health system that includes a 173-acre main campus near downtown Cleveland, 23 hospitals, 280 outpatient facilities, including locations in northeast Ohio; Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; Toronto, Canada; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and London, England. In 2024, there were 15.7 million outpatient encounters, 333,000 hospital admissions and observations, and 320,000 surgeries and procedures throughout Cleveland Clinic’s health system. Patients came for treatment from every state and 112 countries. Visit us at clevelandclinic.org. Follow us at x.com/CleClinicNews. News and resources are available at newsroom.clevelandclinic.org.
Founded in 1866, University Hospitals serves the needs of patients through an integrated network of more than 20 hospitals (including five joint ventures), more than 50 health centers and outpatient facilities, and over 200 physician offices in 16 counties throughout northern Ohio. The system’s flagship quaternary care, academic medical center, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, is affiliated with Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Oxford University, Taiwan National University College of Medicine and the Technion Israel Institute of Technology. The main campus also includes the UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, ranked among the top children’s hospitals in the nation; UH MacDonald Women's Hospital, Ohio's only hospital for women; and UH Seidman Cancer Center, part of the NCI-designated Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. UH is home to some of the most prestigious clinical and research programs in the nation, with more than 3,000 active clinical trials and research studies underway. UH Cleveland Medical Center is perennially among the highest performers in national ranking surveys, including “America’s Best Hospitals” from U.S. News & World Report. UH is also home to 19 Clinical Care Delivery and Research Institutes. UH is one of the largest employers in Northeast Ohio with more than 30,000 employees. Follow UH on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. For more information, visit UHhospitals.org.
