Mercy Health, Bel-Park Anesthesia and Youngstown State University had an agreement that allowed students in the Doctor of Nursing Practice to participate in clinicals where they gain experience in labor and delivery, anesthesia and other practices.

Mercy Health supplies the clinical and resources while Bel-Park supplies the anesthesiologists who help teach the students.

So long as that agreement is in tact, students can get the hours they need to progress through to graduation. However, since the agreement ended in December, students haven't been able to do clinicals in a month.

One student in the program who wishes to remain anonymous said, "St E's Boardman is the only one who has labor and delivery services and the trauma surgery too without having to travel an hour away. We'll end up six to seven months without doing any anesthesia before entering the work force and I'm worried about not getting those hands-on skills that make a good practitioner. We are the ones who put you to sleep and keep you alive during surgery."

Mercy Health released a statement saying in part, "We recognize the importance of these experiences and have put forth solutions to help support continuity for affected students...It is important to note that the school had six months to plan and transition its affiliation to another health system. That planning did not occur, leading to challenges at the conclusion of the agreement..."

The program has 56 total students that need 2000 clinical hours prior to graduation. Mercy Health said they have strong partnerships with several accredited institutions and are working directly with them to ensure those students receive their training.

21 News reached out to Bel-Park and YSU for comment but did not hear back.