Nursing Summer Immersive Badge Program

The Nursing Summer Immersive Badge Program, led by Bergen Community College in collaboration with Applied Technology High School of Bergen County, offered non-credit summer clinical experiences to nursing students entering their final year. With a goal to enhance clinical competency and inspire career direction, the immersive program focused on high-need specialty areas identified by industry partners—Oncology Nursing and Emergency Medicine.

Fourteen nursing students participated in the program, which featured a hybrid structure of 20 hours of didactic mini-lectures, 4 hours of skills lab, and 48 hours of clinical practice across four 12-hour shifts. The experience was delivered by expert faculty with over 30 years of practice in their respective fields and culminated in the awarding of a digital badge through the Canvas platform.

Student selection was driven by interest and matched with workforce demand. Participating students reported increased confidence, expanded specialty-specific knowledge, and a clear understanding of their future nursing pathway. Ten students indicated they intend to pursue employment in their immersive specialty upon graduation.

This pilot program provided continuous student engagement during the summer months—traditionally a gap period for nursing programs—and allowed students to build real-world clinical experience and professional identity. Advisory board input and employer collaboration played a critical role in aligning the program to workforce needs, while digital badges positioned students competitively for future employment.