To help fill the ever-growing need for health care workers, St. Luke’s University Health Network has just opened its own college.
The health network held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the St. Luke’s College of Health Sciences on Monday, across the street from St. Luke’s University Hospital in Fountain Hill.
The college offers associate’s degrees in radiography and respiratory care, as well as a registered nurse to a Bachelor of Science in nursing program and various general education courses. Students who finish their programs are guaranteed clinical placement within St. Luke’s.
Respiratory care and cardiography classes will be held at the Priscilla Payne Hurd Education Center. The registered nurse to Bachelor of Science in nursing program will be offered fully online with a curriculum designed to support adult learners seeking a nontraditional college education. Students will also have access to simulation and skills labs, study areas, and library resources.
Classes at the college start this summer with the inaugural class of students attending in the fall, totaling roughly 150 students across all programs and courses.
“At the college, we are committed to helping these individuals start, grow and thrive both academically and professionally. While we are beginning with three programs and general education offerings, we look forward to expanding in the years ahead. This is only the beginning,” said Mary Grace Simcox, college president.
St. Luke’s said that its longstanding partnerships with regional colleges and universities will continue.
St. Luke’s has long been a player in medical education. In 1872, it opened the St. Luke’s School of Nursing, and it is the oldest of its kind in the U.S. The network also operates the Temple St. Luke’s School of Medicine and offers more than 60 graduate medical education programs.
The College of Health Sciences, which was approved by the state last year, is the network’s newest step to develop its workforce and provide healthcare education and training.
Joel Fagerstrom, St. Luke’s chief operating officer, said he pitched the idea for the college in 2013, but in 2023, he approached St. Luke’s CEO Rick Anderson about taking another look.
“At the time, we did not have a lot of staff coming out of COVID. There were a lot of areas where we needed more staff,” Fagerstrom said. “To this day, we don’t have enough rad techs. We don’t have enough respiratory therapy techs. We don’t have enough nurses in this community and across the country. And that’s why we started it.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the healthcare and social assistance sector is projected to experience the largest job growth of any industry between 2024 and 2034, driven by an aging population and persistent workforce shortages.
Jefferson Health, St. Luke’s primary business rival in the Lehigh Valley, announced this month that it was expanding classes through Thomas Jefferson University into the Lehigh Valley. The network and university are still waiting on accreditation to offer onsite and online nursing education at the Lehigh Valley Health Network Center for Healthcare Education in Upper Saucon Township.
