Geisinger’s Nursing and Health Sciences Scholars Program aims to fill critical nursing and health sciences roles while providing more career opportunities to Geisinger employees

Geisinger is helping more employees follow their calling to care for others by adding a respiratory therapy pathway to Geisinger’s Nursing and Health Sciences Scholars Program. Previously called Geisinger’s Nursing Scholars Program, this career development program financially and professionally supports employees pursuing a career in nursing or select health sciences.

“We’re very excited to add respiratory therapy to our Nursing and Health Sciences Scholars Program,” said Wayne Williams, clinical manager of respiratory services at Geisinger Community Medical Center. “This is a big step for our team and profession. It shows the significant role our respiratory therapists play in the care of our patients and our commitment to working across different disciplines to improve outcomes. This change reflects our dedication to building a skilled workforce ready to take on the evolving needs of our patients.”

According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of respiratory therapists is expected to increase faster than average over the next decade. The aging baby boom generation is leading to an older population that tends to have the most respiratory conditions, including pneumonia, COPD or other diseases commonly associated with aging.

How the program works

Open to employees starting day one of employment, the Nursing and Health Sciences Scholars Program covers part of the cost of pursuing any of the following careers in return for committing to work at Geisinger:

• Registered nurse (RN) – $40,000 in financial assistance with a three-year work commitment as an inpatient RN
• Respiratory therapist – $30,000 in financial assistance with a three-year work commitment
• Surgical technologist – $22,500 in financial assistance with a two-and-a-half-year work commitment
• Licensed practical nurse (LPN) – $20,000 in financial assistance with a two-year work commitment as an inpatient LPN
• Certified medical assistant (CMA) – $7,000 in financial assistance with a two-year work commitment as an outpatient CMA

While supporting employee career and professional goals, the program also mitigates a shortage of nurses and critical health sciences team members across Geisinger. Since its launch in 2021, the program has helped more than 400 employees further their career journeys.

To set the nursing scholars up for success, the program offers guidance in choosing a school and type of degree. Geisinger nurses and leaders also offer mentorship support.

“Many of our employees are eager to pursue nursing or other health careers, but need additional support to do so,” said Janet Tomcavage, RN, executive vice president and chief nursing executive at Geisinger. “Changing careers is a major decision and studying while working is a huge undertaking — not to mention the cost of it all. The Nursing and Health Sciences Program has been a difference-maker for so many of our employees by providing the financial, professional and well-being support they need to succeed. I’m incredibly proud of our scholars and I’m grateful to Geisinger for investing in our employees and their futures.”

The Geisinger program serves as an entry point into the health care profession for high school students or anyone considering a career in nursing or health sciences. Applications to the program are accepted throughout the year. Geisinger employees who are already in school to pursue one of the career pathways included in the program can apply up to 12 months before their anticipated graduation date. All Geisinger School of Nursing students can take advantage of the program, regardless of employment status, if they commit to work at Geisinger upon graduation.

Community members who are not Geisinger employees can apply for available positions at Geisinger and qualify for the program starting on employment. Visit geisinger.org/nursingscholars for details on Geisinger’s Nursing and Health Sciences Scholars Program.

Geisinger Medical Center has been named to Newsweek’s list of America’s Best Maternity Hospitals 2025.

The list of 444 leading hospitals was determined through a rigorous evaluation process, which used a nationwide online survey of health care professionals and hospital managers with knowledge about maternity processes, results from patient experience surveys and hospital quality metrics from several sources with a focus on indicators relevant to maternity care.

Geisinger Medical Center was one of 182 hospitals to receive five ribbons in the list, which means it received greater than 84% in quality metrics and patient experience scores and greater than 71% in its reputation score.

In 2024, 1,850 babies were born at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville.

“Geisinger Medical Center’s recognition for maternity care is a tribute to our dedicated staff of physicians and caregivers who are working to make our hospital the best,” said Sandra Culbertson, MD, chair of the Geisinger Women and Children’s Institute. “Our maternity teams are committed to delivering the highest quality maternity care every day, and we look forward to continuing to provide this excellent care.”

In recognition of Child Abuse Prevention Month, which raises awareness of child abuse and neglect, staff members from the Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital Child Advocacy Center (CAC) in Sunbury planted blue mylar pinwheels at the entrance of Geisinger Medical Center in Danville.

The pinwheels represent playfulness, joy and a carefree childhood and serve as a reminder to protect and nurture our children. Pinwheels for Prevention is a national campaign for child abuse prevention.

This year the CAC team wore special T-shirts to commemorate the awareness month. The shirts were created by Chelsea Whispell, the daughter of Trisha Whispell, social work educator at the CAC. Chelsea had the idea of creating and selling T-shirts to raise funds for the Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance (PFSA). The fundraiser will help Chelsea earn her Silver Torch in working toward her Girl Scout Cadettes Award.

“Chelsea set a goal of raising $1,000 for PFSA, which is equal to selling 200 shirts,” Trisha Whispell said.

PFSA works with local community organizations around child abuse prevention efforts and has partnered with local schools and organizations on a statewide art project called Painting for Prevention. Artwork created for the project is displayed in many community organizations all month long, including Geisinger pediatric and family practice clinics.

Many members of the CAC staff took part in the pinwheel planting on Monday, including (from left) Paul Bellino, M.D., clinical director of the Geisinger Division of Child Protection and Advocacy; Cameran Gardner, victim advocate; Alaina Johnson, licensed clinical social worker; Hailey Welker, forensic interviewer; Alexis Smith, CAC program manager with Ollie, CAC’s certified therapy dog; Chelsea Whispell, Girl Scout; Melissa Wagner, director of the Geisinger Division of Child Protection and Advocacy; Cheryl Moroz, forensic interviewer and Trisha Whispell, social worker educator.

Each year, Geisinger Health and other hospitals across Pennsylvania participate in the Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania’s (HAP) Donate Life Hospital Campaign. This statewide initiative aims to raise awareness about the critical need for organ, tissue, and cornea donations, educating both hospital employees and the community on how they can make a life-saving difference.

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration, the campaign seeks to improve organ donation practices and outcomes by encouraging individuals to register as donors. It also builds on existing partnerships between organizations, businesses, and hospitals to educate employees and the general public about the importance of donation.

With thousands of people waiting for organ transplants, and 17 individuals dying each day due to the lack of available organs, the need for donors has never been greater. By participating in this campaign, we can help reduce the waiting list and provide hope for those in need of a life-saving transplant.

“We are proud to partner with the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania in this vital campaign,” said [Insert Name], [Insert Title] at Geisinger. “We encourage everyone to learn more about our transplant program and consider registering as an organ, tissue, and cornea donor. Every action counts, and together we can make a significant impact.”

Geisinger encourages all members of the community to visit Geisinger.org/donors to learn more about the transplant program and take the life-changing step of becoming a registered donor.

Geisinger recently announced its recognition as a WellBeing First Champion for 2024 by ALL IN: WellBeing First for Healthcare. As a WellBeing First Champion, Geisinger has demonstrated that licensure and credentialing applications for physicians and advanced practice providers are free from intrusive and stigmatizing language around mental health care and treatment. This means health workers at Geisingercan seek needed care without fear of losing their license or job.

Geisinger is currently the only hospital system in its service area to be recognized.

“This recognition is a testament to our deep commitment to supporting the well-being of our workforce,” said Susan Parisi, M.D., chief wellness officer at Geisinger. “Our profession is demanding and impactful, and all too often comes at a very personal cost to us, our families and friends. We often talk about the importance of taking care of ourselves so that we can best care for our patients, and with these credentialing changes, we’re putting our words into action. We hope our employees feel confident seeking any health care services they need, free from shame or barriers.”

Verification that all invasive or stigmatizing language around mental health has been removed from applications is confirmed annually by ALL IN: WellBeing First for Healthcare, a coalition of leading health care organizations that works to eliminate barriers for health workers to obtain needed mental health care.

“Across the country, health workers are at an increased risk for burnout and mental health conditions,” said Corey Feist, co-founder of ALL IN: WellBeing First for Healthcare and CEO of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation. “Many health workers feel they cannot speak up about their mental health without being criticized by colleagues or losing their jobs. Today, physicians and nurses die by suicide at two times the rate of the general population. We as a nation must better protect these lives, and I applaud our WellBeing First Champions for their leadership to support the well-being of health workers.”

In a continued effort to reduce its carbon footprint, Geisinger will stop using the anesthetic gas, Desflurane, for surgical cases due to its significant environmental impact.

The elimination of desflurane will not impact patient safety as there are equally safe alternatives, according to Matthew Desciak, M.D., chair of Geisinger’s Anesthesiology Department.

While desflurane does offer some benefits, such as clearing patients’ systems quickly, it’s a potent greenhouse gas with a global warming potential more than 2,500 times that of carbon dioxide. 

“Discontinuing the use of desflurane will have the largest impact of our green initiatives,” Desciak said. “Using this agent at a typical flow rate for eight hours has the equivalent environmental impact as driving a car from Danville to Mexico.”

In place of desflurane, Geisinger will emphasize the use of anesthesia gases with lower global warming potential and focus on using the minimal amount of these gases. This will allow the system to provide the same level of safe patient care with a lower overall environmental impact.

In 2023, the department joined seven other health systems including Kaiser Permanente to look for ways to reduce department waste while still offering world-class care to patients in central Pennsylvania.

This initiative is already in place at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre and will roll out systemwide throughout the rest of 2024.