Empowering Future Nurses: The Impact of Immaculata University’s Collaboration with Main Line Health

Immaculata University has a long-standing partnership with Main Line Health (MLH) to provide nursing students with hands-on clinical experiences in their hospitals and health centers. This collaboration has fostered seamless transitions from education to professional practice for graduates.

Theresa Arata ’24 and Escarlet Lara ’24, both graduates of Immaculata’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, exemplify this successful transition. Now colleagues within MLH, Arata works at Lankenau Medical Center, while Lara practices at Riddle Hospital.

In 2024, Main Line Health welcomed 18 Immaculata nursing graduates into their nurse residency program. Additionally, nine current students were hired as part of MLH’s nurse extern program, allowing them to gain invaluable experience as patient care technicians and support nurses with patient care responsibilities.

When she was a nursing student, Arata participated in MLH’s nurse externship program as a member of the system’s travel agility team, where she would be assigned to any of the hospitals to work when the need arose. Arata emphasized how exposure to different specialties helped her refine her career focus. This hands-on training, along with the excellent academic instruction from Immaculata’s faculty, prepared Arata for her first professional nursing position. After completing her clinical rotation at Paoli Hospital’s progressive care unit, she accepted her current job in the cardiothoracic step-down unit at Lankenau Medical Center.

One of the most important things Arata learned in her nursing classes at Immaculata was the holistic approach to nursing: care for the whole person—body and soul. “Now, as a nurse in a clinical care setting, I make sure that I take the time to get to know my patients and their stories,” she said.

Arata’s journey from student to nurse exemplifies the strength of Immaculata’s training, a sentiment echoed by Lara, who is now a registered nurse in the year-long residency program at Riddle Hospital. Lara explains that Immaculata nursing students begin their clinical rotations in their sophomore year after completing the Fundamentals of Nursing course. The early stages of learning the fundamentals are crucial in shaping the future careers of nursing students. Lara suggests that current nursing students remember they are still learning. “Now, more than ever, there is room to make mistakes.”

The partnership between Immaculata University and Main Line Health has proven invaluable not only for providing students with hands-on clinical experience but also for helping them seamlessly transition into professional roles. “For many years, we have valued our partnership with Main Line Health System, where their nurses have served as inspiring role models for our graduate and undergraduate students,” stated Pamela Hudson D.M., RN, associate professor and director of the M.S.N. program at Immaculata University.

As a testament to the program’s success, 94% of Immaculata’s 2023 nursing graduates have already secured employment either at a MLH location or other leading health care institutions such as the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Nemours Hospital, UPMC Memorial Hospital, Baylor University Medical Center, Jefferson Health and Johns Hopkins Hospital. Immaculata’s faculty continues to deliver foundational training that yields remarkable results—this year, the program achieved a first-time NCLEX pass rate of 94.3%.

Immaculata University’s nursing program stands out not only for its academic rigor but for its commitment to nurturing compassionate, well-rounded nurses ready to make a meaningful difference in patient care. By combining academic excellence with real-world training, the program equips students to embark confidently on their nursing careers, knowing they have both the skills and the support to succeed.

For more information on Immaculata’s graduate and undergraduate nursing and health care programs, email admiss@immaculata.edu.