Nurses are needed all over the country, and that’s one of the reasons why Corewell Health started a nursing program at Oakland University a couple of years ago.

On Wednesday, the inaugural class graduated from Corewell Health’s Oakland University Nurse Scholars Program. Corewell Chief Nursing Executive Kelli Sadler says they will start early recruiting of future students.

“We want to talk to students in middle school and high school about becoming a nurse and going into healthcare and all the options there are for us to help them succeed for that reason,” Sadler said. “So it’s certainly not unique to Corewell Health. There absolutely is a nationwide nursing shortage.”

Sadler says graduates receive up to $20,000 in scholarship funds and must agree to two years of continual full time employment in Corewell Health hospitals in southeast Michigan.

Corewell Health also offers nurse scholar programs at Schoolcraft College, Henry Ford College, and Grand Valley State University.