Guthrie Cortland Medical Center, TC3 expanding program to combat nursing shortage

CORTLAND, N.Y. — Guthrie Cortland Medical Center (GCMC) and Tompkins Cortland Community College (TC3) in Dryden are expanding a program to educate more nurses.

In partnership with Guthrie, TC3 will add more students and expand its nursing-school offerings to create two new cohorts, both with December graduations. The effort seeks to generate more high-quality graduates locally and do so at a non-traditional time of year, making it easier to fill nursing positions year-round, Guthrie contends.

The organizations say the partnership seeks “to build and maintain the highest level of nursing care in the region.”

This expanded program is a continuation of a partnership originally formed in 2019, Guthrie noted. It operates in the evening hours, attracting non-traditional students, including those who need to continue working full-time while they pursue the education necessary to transition to a career in nursing.

Students will also be allowed to spread clinical requirements over evening hours at GCMC, and Guthrie will help offset the costs associated with expanding this program.

“Strengthening our partnership with Tompkins Cortland Community College allows us to meet high-quality candidates where they are,” Kansas Underwood, chief nursing officer and VP of operations for Guthrie Cortland Medical Center, said in the release. “Together, Guthrie and TC3 will do our part to combat the nursing shortage, locally, and break down the barriers that prevent prospective candidates from realizing their dreams of becoming a nurse who makes a difference in the lives of their fellow community members.”

It’s a “prime example” of how Tompkins Cortland Community College thrives on community partnerships, Amy Kremenek, president of Tompkins Cortland Community College, said in a Guthrie news release.

“The demand for nurses is continuing to increase, which makes it vital that we work together to best educate and train the next generation of nurses,” Kremenek said. “This partnership, which allows TC3 to continue to offer the only evening-based nursing program in the region, is a model of how the College and a forward-thinking community partner like Guthrie Cortland can work together to do what’s best for our students and our community.”