Hartford HealthCare—Quinnipiac University Academic Partnership Will Redefine Healthcare Education, Grow State’s Workforce Pipeline and Expand On-Campus Care

Hartford HealthCare and Quinnipiac University announced a transformative university-wide academic partnership that will build the healthcare workforce of tomorrow and will grow student pipelines across a wide range of professions to address long-term talent needs for the state of Connecticut and beyond. The two organizations’ collaboration includes new lifelong learning and upskilling programs, strategies to grow talent for Connecticut’s varied skill and professional needs, and coordinated on-campus healthcare services for students, athletes, faculty and staff.

The Governor’s Workforce Council in October 2020 reported that the demand for healthcare-related jobs in Connecticut exceeds 7,000 employees a year, with comparable skill gaps in a variety of other industries. The Hartford HealthCare-Quinnipiac partnership will play a key role in growing and retaining talent and jobs in Connecticut by growing academic programs that are rooted in the latest marketplace needs and addressing sectors experiencing – or anticipating – talent shortages.

“We are thrilled to partner with a leading institution like Quinnipiac University to educate and prepare the next generation of healthcare workers which will address the future needs of our state,” said Jeffrey A. Flaks, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hartford HealthCare. “This creative partnership will make a difference for the workforce ahead as we create new training and educational vehicles for colleagues and build an essential pipeline to many rewarding careers, beyond healthcare, right here in Connecticut.”

Hartford HealthCare will make an investment in QU and the future of the state’s healthcare workforce through a $5 million philanthropic commitment to the university over five years.

“As a university deeply committed to the physical, emotional and overall well-being of our students, this new partnership with Hartford Healthcare will enhance the on-campus health services and coordinated care we deliver,” said Quinnipiac President Judy D. Olian. “Our far-reaching collaboration will significantly enhance healthcare education both inside and outside the classroom, as well as the training and job opportunities available to Quinnipiac students all across the university.”

This expanded collaboration with HHC is one of many vibrant relationships with healthcare organizations throughout the state that continue to offer QU students essential hands-on training and learning experiences. It builds upon HHC’s ongoing partnerships with other academic institutions.

Advanced, coordinated on-campus healthcare

Quinnipiac will contract with Hartford HealthCare’s Campus Care program to provide high-quality, coordinated health and wellness services to manage students’ complete care needs, from physical and mental well-being to athletic training for the university’s Division I athletes.

QU’s campus medical records will transition to HHC’s EPIC MyChartPLUS platform, making healthcare data more accessible and portable to improve and simplify the coordination of care across all providers. Current Quinnipiac staff providing clinical Student Health Services, clinical counseling services and athletic training services will be offered employment with Hartford HealthCare Medical Group, subject to the group’s policies and procedures, but will remain in their existing roles and continue working on QU’s campuses.

Redefining healthcare education

Connecticut residents and businesses will benefit from this partnership, which advances healthcare equity and access, and addresses critical workforce needs. Examples of the work HHC will undertake with the Schools of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences:

• Significantly expand the breadth and number of clinical rotations for our students while they pursue their degrees, in addition to job opportunities after graduation.
• Support QU in growing the size of its nursing, health sciences and graduate medical education programs.
• Partner with QU’s Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine on the development of graduate medical education curricula and in recruiting clinical faculty.

This collaboration with HHC is an expansion of our existing health care partnerships – not a replacement. QU enjoys vibrant relationships with other healthcare organizations. We are committed to enhancing those partnerships that offer QU students essential hands-on training and learning experiences, and position partners to hire QU graduates across multiple fields to address their talent needs.

Workforce development and growth in student pipelines

Hartford HealthCare will collaborate with Quinnipiac to alleviate current and future talent shortages across many professional fields by building college-to-career pipelines that offer immersive and clinical learning experiences and rotations, keep graduate talent in state, and encourage upskilling and lifelong learning for those already employed. For example:

• QU’s School of Business will create a leadership development program to educate HHC’s developing leaders, from individual contributors to senior executive and physician leadership.
• HHC will create practicums, internships, and research and capstone opportunities for undergraduate and graduate programs across QU’s 8 professional schools and the College of Arts and Sciences, which may range from fields such as supply chain management and computing, to data analytics, finance and legal compliance, communications and bio-mechanical engineering, among others.
• Quinnipiac will offer professional development and upskilling opportunities to the health system’s 33,000 colleagues; all HHC employees and dependents will be eligible for a tuition discount at QU.

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About Quinnipiac University

Quinnipiac is a private, coeducational, non-sectarian institution located 90 minutes north of New York City and two hours from Boston. The university enrolls 9,715 students in 110 degree programs through its Schools of Business, Communications, Education, Computing and Engineering, Health Sciences, Law, Medicine, Nursing and the College of Arts and Sciences. Quinnipiac is recognized by U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review’s “The Best 387 Colleges.” For more information, please visit qu.edu. Connect with Quinnipiac on Facebook and follow Quinnipiac on Twitter @QuinnipiacU.

About Hartford HealthCare

With 33,000 colleagues, Hartford HealthCare leverages its unified culture to enhance access, affordability, equity and expertise. Its care-delivery system — with more than 400 locations serving 185 towns and cities — includes two tertiary-level teaching hospitals, an acute-care community teaching hospital, an acute-care hospital and trauma center, three community hospitals, a behavioral health network, a multispecialty physician group, a clinical care organization, a regional home care system, an array of senior care services, and a comprehensive physical therapy and rehabilitation network. On average, Hartford HealthCare touches more than 17,000 lives every single day. The unique, system-wide Institute Model offers a unified high standard of care in crucial specialties at hospital and ambulatory sites across Connecticut. The institutes include: Cancer, Heart and Vascular, Ayer Neuroscience, Orthopedics and Tallwood Urology. Visit Hartford HealthCare at www.HartfordHealthCare.org and stay connected through newsletters and social media.