Tracey Moffatt, system chief nursing officer at Ochsner Health, celebrating the opening of the Ollie Lounge with Chamberlain University students.
Through an innovative partnership, nursing students are networking with potential hiring managers between classes.
Bean bag chairs, phone chargers, chalkboard walls. The Ollie Lounge has all the trappings of a typical college hangout. But there’s much more to it.
For Chamberlain University students studying to become nurses, it’s a place to relax between classes or cram with their study group. They are part of an innovative Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at a campus location on the third floor of an Ochsner Health facility. Ochsner, like other health centers in New Orleans and across the United States, faces a nursing shortage.
Louisiana is projected to have a shortage of approximately 6,000 registered nurses by 2030, according to the state Board of Regents.
For Ochsner Health hiring managers, it’s an opportunity to meet students who might one day work for them. They host regular meet-and-greets with students on monthly themes.