Maricopa Integrated Health System to partner with online university

Maricopa Integrated Health System to partner with online university

In an attempt to provide its employees with career-advancing opportunities, Maricopa Integrated Health System (MIHS) has announced that it has signed a partnership agreement with Kaplan University, an accredited online degree provider.

Through the collaboration, MIHS employees will receive a 15 percent reduced tuition rate and will be eligible to take advantage of the university's deferred billing program.

"This agreement with MIHS is designed to provide more affordable and accessible education options to help employees achieve their academic goals," said Jaime Cocuy, vice president of the university's Strategic Alliances Organization.

Health system employees can enroll in one of Kaplan's undergraduate- or graduate-level nursing programs, or can take advantage of the discount by signing up for one of the online school's professional certificate programs.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, demand for nurses is expected to grow by 23 percent over the next seven years. The top salaries in the field already exceed $83,000 per year.

Labor Department analysts predict that by 2012, a total of 1 million nurses will be needed to care for the aging population, and some 587,000 new nursing jobs will be created nationwide.

By Mark Danson