Partnership Helps ��Ƶ Students Pursue Health Care Careers

BBENSON@bridgew.edu — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 19:30:40 +0000

Partnership Helps ��Ƶ Students Pursue Health Care Careers BBENSON@bridgew.edu Mon, 12/01/2025 - 14:30

New agreement with MGH’s Institute of Health Professions provides pathway to advanced degrees

December 4, 2025

Brian Benson, G’23

With more than 13,000 vacant positions in Massachusetts hospitals, the Bay State faces a significant shortage of qualified health care professionals. To help meet that need, ��Ƶ is offering a streamlined pathway for students to pursue these critical careers.

��Ƶ recently signed an agreement with Massachusetts General Hospital’s Institute of Health Professions (IHP), which offers degrees that complement a Bridgewater education.

“This is a very, very exciting moment for ��Ƶ,” ��Ƶ President Frederick W. Clark Jr.,’83, said. “It’s a great opportunity for our students and I think it’s a great opportunity for not just the hospital but the commonwealth as well.”

The five-year pact provides qualified ��Ƶ students with guaranteed admission to designated IHP programs, including nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, audiology, health administration, health sciences and health care data analytics. Students can also qualify for application fee waivers, tuition reduction/scholarships and personalized academic advising.

While the health care industry has made staffing progress, gaps remain in nursing and other patient-facing occupations, according to a recent report from the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association that identified 13,600 vacancies in key hospital roles.

“We know how critical the health professions shortage is right now. It’s only going to get worse with the aging of the population,” said IHP President Paula Milone-Nuzzo. “We are doing an immense service for the communities that we serve. I am so thrilled that we can do this together.”

��Ƶ and IHP share values of inclusivity, innovation and a focus on transforming lives, Dr. Milone-Nuzzo said.

With a liberal arts background, Bridgewater students bring intangible skills that are essential to building strong relationships between patients and health care providers, Dr. Marci Swede, dean of the College of Education and Health Sciences, said of another synergy between the two institutions.

“This partnership strengthens our longstanding commitment to student opportunity and to preparing the region’s future health care professionals,” Clark said.

Do you have a ��Ƶ story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu.

This is a very, very exciting moment for ��Ƶ. It’s a great opportunity for our students and I think it’s a great opportunity for not just the hospital but the commonwealth as well.

President Frederick W. Clark Jr.,’83

Health Sciences

Partnership Helps ������Ƶ Students Pursue Health Care Careers

Partnership Helps ��Ƶ Students Pursue Health Care Careers