The Howley ASPIRE Program: Creating a Pipeline for the Next Generation of Nurses (Podcast)

Attracting the next generation of nurses is essential for the future of the profession. The Howley ASPIRE Program, approaching its 10th anniversary in 2026, is an enrichment opportunity for high school juniors that supports this objective.

“The mission is to provide that direct and supportive pathway into a sustainable and rewarding career in healthcare for students and for young people,” says Pamela Combs, DNP, ANP-BC, Director of the Howley ASPIRE Program, which is sponsored by Cleveland Clinic and The Howley Foundation in collaboration with Ursuline College Breen School of Nursing.

Combs and Taylor Cody, BSN, RN, a graduate of the program and clinical nurse at Cleveland Clinic Hillcrest Hospital, share insight on ASPIRE in the latest episode of Cleveland Clinic’s Nurse Essentials podcast. They talk about:

• What students learn during learn during the 12-week immersion program
• The opportunity to work as a patient care nursing assistant while attending nursing school
• How the ASPIRE Program influences career goals
• The role of RN mentors in the program
• The future of the program and its sister initiative, the Howley ASPIRE Pathways Program for respiratory therapy, surgical technology and sterile processing

Click the podcast player above to listen to the episode now, or read on for a short, edited excerpt. Check out more Nurse Essentials episodes at my.clevelandclinic.org/podcasts/nurse-essentials or wherever you get your podcasts.

Podcast excerpt

Podcast host Carol Pehotsky, DNP, RN, NEA-BC: Tell us from your perspective, Taylor. This junior year immersion, what are some of the things that stand out to you as really cool or really helpful? Some things that still stand out to you today?

Cody: I think the first thing that stood out was just being on the [Cleveland Clinic] Health Education Campus. Seeing the nurses in scrubs or seeing some of the medical students just walking around and doing their thing. And we were in the midst of it – like, we had our own classroom.

We got to speak to nurses who had already had a career full of experiences that came back to show us what they do day to day. So, it was like I got a sneak peek of what I wanted to get into more than anyone who would've taken the traditional route of applying to a college and sitting through pre-requisites. So, yeah, I would say it was great.