Tennessee hospitals need nurses. Dr. Andrea Poynter's proposed public charter school has a plan to provide them.

Dr. Andrea Poynter leading students in her summer nursing camp at Belmont University (Photo by Sky Arnold)

Sydney Bonner has spent more time in hospitals than your typical eighth-grader.

Bonner’s mother underwent a double lung transplant and she says her family’s experience in the health care system was eye opening.

Sydney Bonner (right) participating in the summer nursing camp at Belmont University (Photo by Sky Arnold)

“I noticed how doctors acted around certain patients.  How they would treat them sometimes and I noticed that not all skin groups or colored people get the same treatment as others, which I noticed a lot with my mom or other people in my family,” said Bonner.

The experience motivated Bonner to want to make a difference in the health care field, and that led her to take part in Dr. Andrea Poynter’s summer nursing camp at Belmont University. The camp provides middle school students like Bonner with hands-on nursing experience and a possible introduction to high school.

Students like Bonner could make up the first class at a new public charter high school that Dr. Poynter is applying to open. If approved by the Metro Nashville Public Schools Board of Education, Nurses Middle College Nashville would open to its first freshman class in 2025 with a curriculum that’s specifically designed to help put future nurses on the right path.

Bonner says the concept is definitely one she'd be interested in.

“I think it would be really cool for me or anybody else, because not all places focus a priority on what you want to learn. So if they were to have a high school for that, they could prepare you for when college happens and you need to start going to med school or stuff like that, you could already have the basic education done for," said Bonner.

Every student at Nurses Middle College Nashville will leave their junior year with a certified nursing assistant (CAN) certification. Students will additionally graduate with as many as 24 college credits and receive an education with a nursing perspective in all courses.

“They’ll do American history, but it looks at the disease process throughout American history. Same thing with their math classes. They’ll do state required math classes, but it might be like dosage calculation,” said Poynter. “So, everything from a health care nursing perspective is infused into all of the courses.”

Dr. Andrea Poynter standing next to an instructor at her summer nursing camp at Belmont University (Photo by Sky Arnold)

Nurses Middle College currently operates two other public charter schools in other states, and the educational concept aligns with a challenge Poynter has been working to solve for years.

Dr. Poynter is a longtime nurse who’s spent a decade teaching at Tennessee State University, Columbia State Community College, and Belmont University.  She says one major challenge has been the number of nursing college students who just aren’t ready.

“I was getting frustrated because I was having a lot of students who were not prepared for health care,” said Poynter. “It was like they were just kind of guessing and they weren’t sure how they ended up there, and I’m like, how do you get this far, and you’re not really invested in this?”

Poynter says she eventually came to the realization that only way to address the problem is to start working with students in high school. An opportunity to do just that came with an introduction to leaders of Nurses Middle College who became interested in expanding the charter network to Nashville.

The proposed school would utilize Poynter’s experience as its Executive Director, partnering with local universities like Tennessee State University, Belmont, and Vanderbilt. Poynter says the school will also focus on another challenge she’s experienced in the hospital and in the classroom.

The nursing profession struggles to attract students of color and Poynter is committed to using the public charter school to change that.

“Most of my students didn’t even think it was an option. I’ve had a lot of students tell me that they didn’t think they were smart enough to do this,” said Poynter. “It’s hard to imagine yourself in a place if you don’t see people who resemble you. So the goal is, how do I get them to see in a mirror that hey there are people here who look like you, same background, and we’re here to help guide you to get you to these different places.”

Students participating in the summer nursing camp at Belmont University (Photo by Sky Arnold)

In addition to partnering with universities like Belmont, Nurses Middle College is also working with HCA Healthcare TriStar. The healthcare provider supported Poynter's camp by hosting multiple days at Tristar facilities and providing hands-on training with its nursing education team. Tristar plans to additionally provide workplace learning opportunities and professional mentoring during the school term along with tuition support for Nurses Middle College Nashville graduates who accept full-time positions with TriStar Health.

“Our goal is to provide these young learners with the opportunity to experience the power of choosing nursing as a future profession and the impact they could have on the lives of future patients. I knew from a young age that I was called to be a nurse. My hope is that by providing these opportunities to the students, they will continue to be inspired and develop a passion for healthcare and caring for their community,"  said HCA Healthcare TriStar Division Chief Nurse Executive Stephanie Wise. “We are excited to collaborate with Nurses MC on this unique camp for students. This is just the foundation of what we are expecting to achieve as we continue to inspire and provide opportunities for the next generation of nurses.”

Challenge awaits with school board vote

Nurses Middle College Nashville was among five proposed public charter schools Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) Board of Education members voted down in April.

Under state law, denied charter applicants have the option of submitting an amended application. MNPS board members will vote on Nurses’ amended application this Tuesday.

The board has a lengthy history of opposing new and existing public charter schools, despite those schools outperforming comparable district schools on state testing.