Wright State University and Premier Health Nursing Academy expands affordable pathway to nursing careers amid growing demand

Wright State Nursing Academy students gain hands-on clinical experience in the classroom and through paid positions at Premier Health. (Photo by Erin Pence)

The Wright State University and Premier Health Nursing Academy is helping more students pursue nursing careers through financial support, hands-on clinical experience and a direct pathway to employment.

The program provides eligible nursing students with up to $8,000 in annual tuition assistance from Premier Health. Combined with Wright State University scholarships and available federal and state financial aid, the support helps make earning a nursing degree more accessible, enabling students to complete their degrees and launch careers that strengthen and retain the nursing workforce across the Dayton region.

Students in Wright State’s Nursing Academy complete the same academic curriculum as other nursing students while working as paid, part-time Premier Health employees. This experience allows students to become acclimated to a professional healthcare environment, build relationships with care teams, explore nursing specialties and gain firsthand insight into the career opportunities available across Premier Health’s network of facilities and locations.

The Nursing Academy has demonstrated early success in local workforce retention. Of 13 students from Wright State’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program who have completed the academy, 10 are currently employed at Premier Health.

“By connecting students with meaningful healthcare experiences early in their academic journey, Premier is able to develop and retain this talent while helping address critical workforce needs across our organization,” said Mallon Briggerman, workforce and talent development business partner at Premier Health.

Lillian Currey, a 2026 graduate, is employed as a new graduate nurse in the Emergency Department at Atrium Medical Center in Middletown.

“Remaining in the Dayton area to serve this community was extremely important to me. I also wanted to begin my nursing career with an organization where I could continue learning, gain experience and be encouraged to grow both personally and professionally,” said Currey.

“By working at Premier Health through the program, I became familiar with their environment, equipment, workflows and patient interactions, while also building confidence and developing relationships. With support from my managers, encouragement to pursue professional development and being advocated for as both a student and a professional, I saw how Premier invests in their employees’ growth and development.”

“Affordability is a key consideration for many students and families when making decisions about higher education,” said Bethany DeLong, director of enrollment and retention in the College of Health, Education, and Human Services. “The financial support provided by these programs makes pursuing a nursing degree more accessible and helps students see a career in healthcare as an achievable goal.”

Currey echoes this sentiment, noting that Premier’s financial investment demonstrates how the organization is actively supporting the next generation of nurses in their career goals.

“As someone who has paid for their own education, the program significantly reduced my financial burden,” she said. “Looking back, if the academy had existed when I first began at Wright State, I would have graduated debt-free.”

Building on the success of the undergraduate Nursing Academy, Wright State University and Premier Health expanded their partnership to support nurses throughout their careers with the launch of the graduate-level Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) Academy.

While the Nursing Academy helps undergraduate students begin their nursing careers through tuition assistance and clinical experience, the APRN Academy supports current practicing nurses who hold a bachelor’s degree as they pursue advanced practice education at Wright State. Participants pursue either adult-gerontology acute care or family nurse practitioner concentrations, which align with Premier Health’s highest workforce needs, and are eligible for up to $10,000 annually in financial support.

The College of Health, Education and Human Services anticipates continued growth in program participation as Wright State’s nursing program expands. The university’s nursing facilities are undergoing a $6 million expansion project that will nearly double enrollment from 380 this spring to an estimated 740 by the 2027-28 academic year.