New Partnerships and Grant-Funded Initiatives in Nursing Education

In June 2002, AACN introduced a section in our monthly email newsletter, AACN News Watch, to share information about new partnerships and grant-funded initiatives. This section is used to spotlight new collaborations and initiatives launched by nursing schools and corporate citizens that effectively increase student capacity, add new nursing faculty, increase student diversity, address the nursing shortage, and enhance the way education is delivered. Below are excerpts from past issues of AACN News Watch.

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October 2009

• On October 13, 2009, Dr. Alexia Green, dean of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Anita Thigpen Perry School of Nursing, announced the receipt of a $1 million grant from the Texas Workforce Commission. The grant will help fund innovative practices for curriculum development and training as well as increase student capacity in nursing schools to address the shortage of bachelor’s level registered nurses in the state. The grant was awarded by geographic region and in partnership with Texas A&M Health Science Center (Central Texas), University of Texas at Tyler (East Texas), Texas Woman’s University (Gulf Coast), Dallas/Ft. Worth Hospital Council (North Texas) and University of Texas at El Paso (Upper Rio Grande). Each region has between three and twenty-two schools participating in the grant. See http://www.ttuhsc.edu/son.
  
  
• The University of Virginia School of Nursing received a $450,000 HRSA grant to fund the Nursing Leadership in Rural Health Care project. The grant will fund curriculum development in MSN and DNP programs to prepare nursing leaders with expertise in Community/Public Health Leadership, Health Systems Management, or Psychiatric Mental Health as specialists in rural health care. The project aims to improve access to quality health care and to help eliminate health barriers and disparities in rural and underserved areas by making graduate education more accessible to rural nurses in Virginia and beyond. See http://www.nursing.virginia.edu.
  
  
• The Health Careers Institute in the Division of Enterprise Development at the University of Texas at Arlington has forged a new collaboration between the Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) training program and the University of Texas at Arlington School of Nursing Smart Hospital™. The Health Careers Institute will begin using the facility’s state of the science classroom and laboratory skills training site to enhance the learning experience of the CNA students. Nursing school dean Elizabeth Poster, noted “having the CNA students affiliated with the Smart Hospital™ is a good example of how we can provide educational resources for this region’s healthcare programs ranging from certificate programs to doctoral education and health professional research.” See http://www.uta.edu/ced.

September 2009

• Hunter College, CUNY, Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing has received an advanced nursing education training grant from HRSA for more than $1 million to support the school’s new Clinical Nurse Leader™ (CNL) program. Funding will prepare CNLs in an emerging nursing role that has been nationally acknowledged to improve the overall quality of health care, reduce health disparities, and addresses patient and staff satisfaction. The grant will support the implementation of a new master’s curriculum and the recruitment and enrollment of approximately 40 baccalaureate-prepared nurses into the CNL program over the next three years. See http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/nursing.
  
  
• Misericordia University and Valley Forge Military College—The Military College of Pennsylvania™ signed a formal articulation agreement in August that will enable nursing students to matriculate to the university to complete their BSN degree beginning in the 2011-12 academic year. “Misericordia is very pleased to enter into this cooperative agreement for nursing students with Valley Forge Military Academy & College,’’ said University President Michael A. MacDowell. “This arrangement will assure that the academy’s excellent associate degree in science graduates will be able to pursue their four-year bachelor’s degrees in nursing at Misericordia without losing any college credit or time.” See http://www.misericordia.edu/nursing.
  
  
• The University of Cincinnati College of Nursing has been awarded a $299,963 two-year grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as part of the Interdisciplinary Nursing Quality Research Initiative. Principal Investigator, Dr. Tracey Yap, and the research team will partner with Signature HealthCare of Florida to develop a system-wide, nurse-led, mobility-team approach to decrease long-term care facility-acquired pressure ulcers. With this funding, the school looks forward to improving the quality of life for long-term care patients at risk of developing pressure ulcers. See http://www.nursing.uc.edu

August 2009

• The College of Nursing at Michigan State University and the Department of Nursing at Hope College have entered into a partnership to advance the education of baccalaureate graduates who are interested in pursuing a research career and entering doctoral study. School administrators are responding to the need to encourage BSN graduates to consider doctoral education earlier than the existing pattern of waiting several years before returning to graduate school. The specific aim of the partnership is to demonstrate an innovative model whereby faculty from both institutions encourage cohorts of eligible Hope College nursing students and alumni to consider applying to the MSU accelerated BSN to PhD Program. Each academic year, MSU will designate two seats in the fast-track program for qualified applicants from Hope. “The partnership is a unique opportunity for collaboration between a private and public research intensive institution,” said MSU Nursing Dean Mary Mundt. “It will serve as a model for the development of similar future partnerships targeted at meeting the needs of the national nursing faculty shortage.” See http://www.msunursing.org/news/29535.htm.
  
  
• Florida International University College of Nursing & Health Sciences (CNHS) has been awarded a $31,000 grant from the Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation to establish full-tuition scholarships for two undergraduate nursing students for two years. The grant funds will be awarded evenly between the nursing students to completely cover tuition costs in the BSN program for two years. The CNHS Scholarship Committee will select the two undergraduate students in the Spring 2010 semester. Kim Greene, Executive Director for the Foundation commented, “We recognize the importance of the work done by the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, and are glad to assist with its efforts to combat the critical nursing shortage. This program will have a positive and long-range impact on the population it serves by helping develop and prepare more qualified nurses who will provide patient care throughout our communities.” See http://cnhs.fiu.edu/nursing/index.html.
  
  
• The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida, the philanthropic affiliate of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF), announced today that it has been chosen as one of 10 foundations nationwide to receive funding from Partners Investing in Nursing’s Future, a unique national initiative to help address the long-term shortage of available nurses across the country. Through Partners Investing in Nursing’s Future, initiative directors are hoping that local and regional foundations create a domino effect – where innovative ideas are tested locally and shared nationally with an exponential effect on the workforce shortage. To help develop solutions and lead efforts within Florida, The Blue Foundation has been awarded a two-year grant of $250,000 to promote the use of simulation technology in Florida nurse education. The grant to The Blue Foundation will be matched by funds from BCBSF. See http://www.bcbsfl.com/index.cfm?section=visitors&fuseaction=BlueFoundation.Updates.

July 2009

• On July 17, 2009, the University of Texas at Arlington School of Nursing announced the establishment of the BSN Academic Partnership program that will substantially expand the number of new RNs in Texas. Though this program, BSN course content will be delivered via a blended learning model with online, technology-enhanced courses with UT Arlington faculty-supervised clinical experiences at partner hospitals throughout the state. The instructional format is not linked to traditional semester schedules and allows students to enter and progress through the program in an expedited manner. Students receive the majority of clinical experiences in the healthcare partner's facilities. This approach enhances the new graduate's readiness to practice and minimizes the time needed for new nurse orientation. For more details, see http://www.uta.edu/nursing/news.
  
  
• The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing will receive more than $984,000 over the next five years as a recipient of the Who Will Care? grant, given by the Maryland Hospital Association. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Pamela Jeffries and Associate Professor Linda Rose will use the grant to develop and pilot test an alternative model for clinical teaching and integrating emerging technologies (i.e. simulation, online courses, and electronic student portfolios) into the program to enhance clinical skills and experiences. “We welcome the opportunity to increase the number of nursing students we can graduate,” said Dean Martha N. Hill. “This grant money means more qualified applicants will be accepted into our program and graduate as nurses.” See http://www.nursing.jhu.edu.

June 2009

• On June 22, hospital and healthcare leaders in Maryland announced that the statewide Who Will Care? fundraising campaign has collected $15.5 million to provide 17 nursing schools with grants to educate 300 additional nurses and add 20 new faculty members. “Less than two years ago we predicted that unless we increased the number of nurses being educated in Maryland, we would be short 10,000 nurses by 2016,” said Maryland Hospital Association President and CEO Carmela Coyle. “Today we are thrilled to announce real progress and are committed to maintaining the momentum we need to reach our goal of adding 1,500 students.” The campaign seeks to raise $60 million from the public and private sector to fully fund the initiative, which has attracted support from hospitals, insurance, business and academic leaders, nurses, long-term care providers, and private citizens. The funds will provide grants to help the state’s nursing schools add faculty, students, and clinical technology. See http://www.mdhospitals.org.
  
  
• On June 19, the University of Texas at Arlington's School of Nursing announced the establishment of the UT Arlington Regional Nursing Education Center, a program that will double the number of undergraduate nursing students by 2012. The program is aimed at students earning their entry-level BSN degree. The center is being made possible by $5 million in one-time funds approved by Governor Rick Perry. The new center will serve as a resource to 14 schools of nursing in the region as they increase their enrollments and expand their use of UT Arlington's nursing simulation facility. "Through the leadership of all our area lawmakers, UT Arlington will be able to play a major role in training the numbers of highly skilled, registered nurses that Texas needs to meet the health care demands in our communities," President James D. Spaniolo said. "We are thrilled that more students, and more Texans, will benefit from the real-world experience they can gain in our University's high-tech teaching laboratory, the UT Arlington School of Nursing's Smart Hospital." See http://www.uta.edu/nursing.
  
  
• On May 28, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce Foundation announced a major $22 million initiative designed to ensure that New Jersey will have the nursing workforce needed to meet its future health care demands. The five-year New Jersey Nursing Initiative will increase the number of nurse faculty in the state through the Faculty Preparation Program, which will provide grants to schools of nursing and support for 46 graduates students who must commit to teaching in the state for three years after graduation. Other components of the initiative include the creation of state working groups, a centralized application service (with AACN), and a new Web portal for the state's nursing programs. See http://www.njni.org.
  
  
• On May 19, Maryland’s Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC) announced the awarding of 18 grants to schools of nursing totaling $20.1 million over five years as part of the state’s Nurse Support Program II (NSP II). Funding for NSP II is being provided through a 0.1% increase to the rate structure of all hospitals since July 2005 to promote the program’s goal of increasing the number of nurses in Maryland hospitals by expanding the capacity of Maryland’s nursing education programs. This innovative program is a unique venture that teams hospitals and colleges to create partnerships to address the critical shortage of nurses. The projected outcomes of this fourth round of institutional grants are expected to increase new RNs by 880, new BSNs by 436, and new MSNs by 452. See http://www.mhec.state.md.us.
  
  
• The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Anita Thigpen Perry School of Nursing has launched the Returning Enlisted Veteran–Upward to Professional Nursing Project with grant funding from the Texas Workforce Commission. This program will provide qualified U.S. Army Licensed Vocational Nurses who have left the military and have completed all necessary prerequisites, the chance to enter an accelerated professional nursing program. Students will obtain their BSN through a sequence of clinical competence evaluation assessments, a web-based curriculum, and local clinical experiences in areas around Austin and El Paso. See http://nursing.ttuhsc.edu/revupn.
  

May 2009

• The Anita Thigpen Perry School of Nursing at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center has received a $250,000 gift from the RGK Foundation to establish a mobile simulation education program. This innovative program will allow rural interdisciplinary healthcare professionals to receive competency evaluations and continuing education/training opportunities to which they otherwise would not have access. With a July 1 launch date, the mobile simulation program also will help decrease overcrowding in clinical sites and increase nursing student enrollment by supplementing coursework with clinical simulation. See http://www.ttuhsc.edu/son.

April 2009

• The University of Houston-Victoria School of Nursing recently received $25,000 in scholarship funding from the Greater Texas Foundation. The donation will be used to create the Rising to the Challenge scholarships that will pay for tuition, books and fees for nursing transfer students taking classes in Victoria and Sugar Land. “Scholarships are one of our greatest needs at the School of Nursing,” founding Dean Kathryn Tart said. “This generous donation by the Greater Texas Foundation will help us recruit more nurses to advance their education and improve the quality of care for everyone in the communities we serve.” Scholarships enable many nursing students to continue their educations who otherwise would not be able afford to do so. The school also uses such scholarships to recruit students who are underrepresented in the field of nursing, including those under the age of 30, men, Hispanics and other minorities.

March 2009

• On March 9, 2009, the Michigan departments of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth, and Community Health announced the awarding of nearly $5 million in grants to nine Michigan nursing schools and two hospital partners as part of the unique Michigan Nursing Corps. This program was created in 2007 to confront the state’s critical shortage of nurses by preparing additional faculty to educate new nurses by the year 2010. In this second round of funding, the Wayne State University College of Nursing was awarded nearly $2 million to support the school’s accelerated master’s degree program, while also providing an accelerated conclusion to current PhD students preparing for immediate faculty positions at universities across the state. The College of Nursing at Michigan State University received more than $1.1 million to support the school’s PhD, MSN, and accelerated BSN programs. Other grant recipients included Eastern Michigan University ($634,600), Northern Michigan University ($570,000), and Saginaw Valley State University ($103,000). See
  http://www.michigan.gov/mdch/0,1607,7-132-8347-210388--,00.html.

• Duke University is the recipient of a $1.9 million HRSA award to partner with Western Carolina University and University of North Carolina-Charlotte to educate faculty on the strategies for the use and integration of innovative educational technologies into the nursing programs at the three institutions. The grant will support state-wide conferences to address both the knowledge and technology gaps between what learners learn and what they need for timely, efficient, and effective nursing practice in healthcare settings. Innovative teaching methods using technology will be highlighted. Consensus recommendations and supporting documents and presentations will be posted online. The open Web site will also host an inventory of electronic teaching/learning tools used in nursing programs and the assessment of the usefulness and applicability of tools. See http://nursing.duke.edu.

• To improve the effectiveness of nursing instruction as well as implement new methods of instruction, the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing is offering five courses this summer that focus on developing nurse educators in classroom and clinical settings. These programs include a Novice Nurse Educator Institute in August and September 2009; as well as a course on The Shifting Instructional Paradigm: Teaching to Learning, a role seminar and practicum on The Competent Nurse Educator, and a mid-summer course on Transforming Curricula & Student Evaluation in Nursing. These courses from the college’s Nurse Educator Career Development Pathway are offered in conjunction with the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, a collaborative community of scholars in the greater Cincinnati area whose interest is in improving teaching and learning in nursing. Registration and information on the courses can be found at http://www.nursing.uc.edu.

February 2009

• The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Nursing has been awarded a HRSA grant of nearly $1.75 million for a program to increase the numbers of baccalaureate-level registered nurses serving populations in rural areas. The three-year grant will fund the implementation of the RN-BSN Rural Nursing Initiative (RNI). The RNI program is designed to impact the rural nursing shortage through the School of Nursing’s innovative and expanding national distance education baccalaureate (RN-BSN) program. “The nursing shortage is particularly severe in rural areas of the country,” said Lora Lacey-Haun, PhD, RN, dean of the UMKC School of Nursing. “The goal of this initiative, which is already underway, is to make our RN-BSN distance education program more accessible to students in rural areas by using new and creative technologies in delivering our on-line program.” See http://nursing.umkc.edu/newsdetail.cfm?News_ID=92.
  
  
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida and Largo Medical Center – part of Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) West Florida Division – have committed financial support to continue providing the Florida International University College of Nursing’s Foreign-Educated Physician to Nursing Program (FEPN) in the Tampa Bay region. Dr. Divina Grossman, Dean of the College, said: “We knew we were sitting on a gold mine of opportunity with the program in Tampa. We have a diverse candidate pool to choose from. We have the technological and academic structure in place to deliver the program. We have hospitals coming to us to help fill their nursing workforce shortages. And we have a track record of success, with five years’ worth of graduates integrating quickly and effectively as nurses in health care facilities. What we did not have were the financial resources to ensure the program’s existence in the region, until now.” See http://chua2.fiu.edu/Nursing.

January 2009

• The University of Maryland School of Nursing has received a pledge of $1 million from Mary Catherine Bunting, a 1972 MSN graduate, to establish the Mary Catherine Bunting Scholarship for Maryland residents enrolled in the School’s Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) program. “Ms. Bunting’s generosity opens the door to a nursing career for those who could not otherwise afford it,” says Janet D. Allan, PhD, RN, FAAN, dean of the School of Nursing. “This gift presents a wonderful opportunity for our students while benefitting the entire state by bolstering the professional nurse workforce.” See http://nursing.umaryland.edu/news/2009/1-6.htm.

• The Arizona State University College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation is partnering with Idea Crossing, a digital innovation firm, to conduct the first national Healthcare Innovation Challenge® from January 5 to May 1, 2009. Linda Mottle, director of the Center of Healthcare Innovation & Clinical Trials at ASU, said, “The purposes of the challenge are to foster collaboration and attract tomorrow’s leaders as well as to solve real-world healthcare challenges. Our goal in partnering with Idea Crossing is to be a catalyst in bringing innovation which produces better evidenced-based quality patient care, efficiency, and lower costs to healthcare.” Challenge category question areas will include Information Technology in Healthcare, Re-engineering Care and Use of Interdisciplinary Teams, and Healthcare Finance & Health 2.0. For complete details on this unique cross-disciplinary effort, see http://nursing.asu.edu.

• The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing) has established a partnership with the Eclipsys Corporation® to provide tomorrow's nurses with healthcare information technology experience. Faculty plan to use the partnership to develop and implement curriculum that incorporates Eclipsys' advanced information technology solutions, hardware and clinical expertise. "At a time of great need to counter the growing nursing shortage, Penn Nursing is providing nursing students with a solid background that helps them more quickly and fully prepare to enter the profession," said Dean Afaf Meleis. "As Penn Nursing celebrates its 30-year legacy in providing the highest level of nursing scholarship through doctoral education, it is important that we continue to seek ways to advance the science of nursing with emphasis on technology tools that are widely deployed and highly adopted." See http://www.nursing.upenn.edu.

• Blue Cross Blue Shield executives recently presented a check for $637,000 to Tennessee Better Birth Outcomes, a collaborative project with the Vanderbilt University Schools of Nursing and Medicine as well as Nurses for Newborns, a non-profit nurse visitation program serving at-risk mothers and babies.  The Blue Cross Blue Shield funds will support year three of the randomized clinical trial studying high-risk pregnant women from early pregnancy through postpartum.  The goal is to decrease the number of premature births in Tennessee, which nationally ranks 48th in infant mortality and 47th in preterm births. See http://www.nursing.vanderbilt.edu/media/release98.html.

December 2008

• The Duke University School of Nursing has received $100,000 in funding from The Duke Endowment to support The Campaign for Difference in Nursing initiative. This award will be used to create a nursing workforce for North Carolina that matches the population of those needing health care. This initiative will be advanced by the School of Nursing's Office of Global and Community Health Initiatives, which works eliminate health disparities locally and nationally. Through this campaign, the nursing school will establish a recruitment network for groups under-represented in nursing to assist them in exploring opportunities in the profession. Beginning this summer, the Campaign will also sponsor eight undergraduate students for a six-week on-campus summer internship program designed expose students to patient care and scientific activities in nursing. See http://nursing.duke.edu.

• The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Anita Thigpen Perry School of Nursing has partnered with the Midland Memorial Foundation and Midland Memorial Hospital to establish the Advancing Clinical Excellence project aimed at furthering the education of nurses. The Midland Memorial Foundation and Midland Memorial Hospital have committed $720,000 to be distributed over three years among 90 Midland Memorial nurses pursuing their Bachelor of Science degrees in nursing, and 30 pursuing their Master of Science in Nursing degrees. See http://www.ttuhsc.edu/son.

November 2008

October 2008

September 2008

August 2008

July 2008

June 2008

• The Wayne State University College of Nursing has been awarded a $331,000 grant from Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm’s Michigan Nursing Corps initiative to fund the development of an accelerated, 15-month master’s degree program designed to help combat the critical shortage of nursing educators in the state. Under the provisions of the award, the College will fast-track a cohort of MSN students specializing in acute care, who upon graduation will be committed to teach in Michigan for at least five years. The grant is part of $1.5 million in the state budget designated for the Nursing Corps in fiscal year 2008. Gov. Granholm has recommended the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth include a $10 million line item for the program in the fiscal year 2009 budget, currently under consideration by the state legislature. See http://www.nursing.wayne.edu.

May 2008

• The School of Nursing and Health Studies at Georgetown University Medical Center and Washington Hospital Center have partnered to establish a $2 million scholarship program for students enrolled in the school’s 16-month accelerated baccalaureate program. The program was developed to recruit, educate, and retain a front-line nursing workforce. With 230 nurses expected to complete the program over the next few years, graduates will work for at least three years at Washington Hospital Center, including on the geriatrics unit. See http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.nurses05may05,0,6944804.story.

• On May 6, Capital Health Plan (CHP) announced it will invest $1.5 million over the next five years in nursing education programs at Florida State University (FSU), Florida A&M University (FAMU), and Tallahassee Community College. The initiative is aimed at alleviating a growing nursing shortage in Florida. At FSU, the funding will create a 12-month accelerated baccalaureate nursing program for students who have a degree in another field and have completed prerequisite courses. At FAMU, CHP's investment will create the Capital Health Plan/Edwin Thorpe Endowed Scholarship Fund, which will provide scholarships for undergraduate, upper-division students who are graduates of high schools in Leon, Gadsden, Wakulla and Jefferson counties. The scholarship will pay up to full tuition for recipients for a maximum of four semesters. For more details, see http://www.chp.org/news/2008050601.php.

April 2008

• A new source of financial support is available for doctoral students at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing who are committed to teaching future generations of nurses in the New York City metropolitan area.  The funds, awarded through the Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence Nursing Scholars Program, provide up to $280,000 in forgivable loans to support efforts to prepare and retain qualified nurse educators. "The nursing profession is in great need of faculty members to educate the nurses of the future," says Dr. Marie T. Nolan, director of the school’s PhD program.  "We need to attend to the nurse faculty shortage in order to address the shortage of nurses caring for patients in all health care settings across the lifespan.  The Jonas Nursing Scholars Program was designed to do just that." See http://www.son.jhmi.edu/newsevents/news/news.aspx?ID=613.

• Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Nursing has partnered with Hendrick Health System to establish a second-degree nursing program in Abilene. “This accelerated program is a wonderful opportunity for people who would like to become baccalaureate prepared nurses but do not have the time to go through traditional nursing program,” said Dr. Alexia Green, dean of the School of Nursing. “This is just another step TTUHSC has made toward helping to alleviate the nursing shortage in Texas.” See http://www.ttuhsc.edu/son.

• The University of Texas at El Paso School of Nursing has been awarded $100,000 by St. David’s HealthCare of Austin, and the Las Palmas and Del Sol Medical Centers, partners in the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) Inc., to create a new program aimed at reducing nursing shortages. The grant will create an innovative 15-week program officially known as the HCA Central/West Texas-UTEP Bridge Program for Mexico Nurses to Increase Diversity. The program will give degreed and licensed Mexican nurses an opportunity to prepare to pass the Texas Nurses Certification and Licensing Exam, the national exam to become a registered nurse. See http://nursing.utep.edu.

March 2008

• On March 3, Iowa’s Lieutenant Governor Patty Judge released a report calling for the creation of a statewide Nursing Task Force to address challenges facing Iowa’s nurses, such as low wages and a lack of workers. The report made a number of recommendations, including expanding programs in the public and private sectors to provide forgivable loans and scholarships for nursing education at all levels; increasing the number of nursing faculty through innovative employment; strengthening recruitment efforts and increasing salaries; and increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of education programs and improve their ability to provide easy articulation between programs. Read the report online at http://www.governor.iowa.gov/news/2008/03/03_1.php.

• New York University College of Nursing (NYUCN), has received an eight-year, $4.1 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to study newly licensed registered nurses in order to track changes in their careers. The new grant extends from 4 to 10 the number of years these nurses will be studied. "Following the same nurses for the first 10 years of their careers will provide an unprecedented opportunity to learn about how they make decisions about their work," said NYUCN's Dr. Christine Kovner, the study's principal investigator. "We deeply appreciate the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's continued unwavering support for the study of the important issues of RN retention and job satisfaction," said NYUCN Dean Terry Fulmer. "The findings will in turn help leaders in the field make informed decisions about where in the system we need to make greater investments in educating, hiring, and retaining excellent nurses, which is so critical to the health of our nation." See http://www.nyu.edu/nursing.

February 2008

• On February 7, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley announced the allocation of $3.4 million to the University of Maryland School of Nursing from the state’s Higher Education Investment Fund to help address the nursing shortage. “Nurses are the backbone of Maryland’s healthcare system and play an invaluable role in delivering the best patient care,” said Governor O’Malley. “To ensure that all Marylanders have access to the highest quality of care, an adequate supply of well-trained and committed nurses is absolutely critical.” See http://www.governor.maryland.gov/press.asp.

January 2008

• On January 31, Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell announced the investment of $1.8 million to expand nurse education opportunities and increase the number of nurses in Pennsylvania. “By training more nurses – and by using state-of-the-art equipment for that training – Pennsylvania will have more graduates on the job who are qualified from day one to deliver the quality care our citizens need and deserve,” said Governor Rendell.  Several AACN member institutions received funding through this initiative, including DeSales University, Holy Family University, Messiah College, University of Pennsylvania, University of Pittsburgh, and Villanova University. See http://www.state.pa.us/papower/cwp/view.asp?A=11&Q=471236.

• The Simmons College Department of Nursing is pleased to announce the creation of The Legacy Fund for Faculty Nurse Scholars, which was established by a $1 million gift from an anonymous family of donors. This funding will be used to support a variety of departmental activities aimed at promoting faculty scholarship, recruitment, and retention. The Legacy Fund will help finance everything from course-release time (to pursue doctoral course work, dissertation research, tenure preparation, and more) to stipends for independent scholarship. Funds also will be available for professional development opportunities. Dr. Judy Beal, nursing department chair, was instrumental in engendering support for this generous gift and creating The Legacy Fund. See http://www.simmons.edu/academics/undergraduate/nursing.

November 2007

• On November 5, leaders from Maryland hospitals and nursing education announced a bold new strategy for solving the state’s nursing crisis by doubling the number of nurses now educated in Maryland. With Maryland facing a shortage of 10,000 RNs by 2016, the plan calls for an increase of 1,800 in the number of enrollees of first-year nursing students beginning in 2009 and continuing into the foreseeable future. This goal will require 360 additional faculty members; faculty salaries that reflect market conditions; additional funding for nursing education programs; and, additional classroom and clinical sites to accommodate expanded enrollments. The group placed a price tag on the plan in year one of $34 million, and $25 million in the following year. After an initial investment of public and private sector dollars, organizers expect that the expansion will begin to pay for itself. See http://www.mdhospitals.org.

• The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board awarded more than $7 million to Texas nursing schools under the Professional Nursing Shortage Reduction Program. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Nursing had the largest increase of graduates in the state in 2007 and received the largest sum of funds with $702,151. TTUHSC increased their number of graduates by 90 students from 360 in 2006 to 450 in 2007, making it the number two producer of degrees by a nursing school in the state, second only to Texas Woman’s University. “The evolving nursing shortage has significant implications for all of us – nurses, patients, health care providers, educators and the public,” said TTUHSC nursing dean Alexia Green. “Our School of Nursing is strategically addressing this critical need.” See http://www.ttuhsc.edu/son.

• A collaborative effort between the University of Maryland School of Nursing and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield has resulted in the development of a new regional scholarship to promote graduate nursing education.  An advanced degree will qualify graduates to become faculty members who can teach nursing students at all levels. Dubbed “Project RN,” the scholarship program will help students complete their degree within two years by providing them with financial support. For details, see http://nursing.umaryland.edu/news/2007/10-30.htm.

October 2007

• The Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) awarded the University of North Dakota College of Nursing two grants to support new Master’s degree tracks specializing in Gerontology and Public/Community Health Nursing.  Enrollment for both degree options began in fall 2007 with options to earn an RN to MS degree, MS degree, or post-nursing master's certificate. “We at the College are thrilled with this news”, shares Dr. Chandice Covington, dean of nursing.  “Education in the areas of gerontology and public/community health is in high demand in North Dakota and the nation.  The faculty directing these programs are dedicated to success and seeing an impact on health in our region. We at the College applaud their hard work and commitment.” See http://www.nursing.und.edu.

• Funded by the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, the Vine Hill Community Clinic and its four satellite sites have achieved status as a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) by the Department of Health and Human Services.  The clinic is the flagship of the University Community Health Services, a network of eight area health clinics, and the $650,000-a-year, three-year grant will go toward expanding services at Vine Hill and funding other health outreach efforts. “Achieving designation as a federally-qualified health center opens many doors for our nurse practitioner and nurse midwife faculty to provide more services to more patients,” said Dr. Colleen Conway-Welch, dean of the School of Nursing. Read more at http://www.nursing.vanderbilt.edu.

• Earlier this month, Northeastern University announced that Dr. Carol Glod, research director and professor of nursing, received a $625,000 HRSA traineeship grant to expand the university’s child psychiatric nursing program. Aiming to help eliminate the severe shortage of nurses for underserved populations, the three-year project will prepare advanced practice registered nurses in child and adolescent psychiatric nursing to provide culturally competent care to vulnerable children, adolescents and their families with acute and chronic mental illness. See http://www.northeastern.edu/bouve/nursing.

September 2007

• On September 12, the New Mexico Higher Education Department announced the awarding of $3.5 million to support nursing programs at the state’s public colleges and universities. A total of 17 New Mexico colleges and universities, including New Mexico State University and the University of New Mexico, received funding in amounts ranging from $50,000 to $500,000 to help address the state’s critical nursing shortage. In addition, the Department will disburse an additional $500,000 later this month to enable nursing schools to provide a supplemental compensation package for nursing faculty and staff.  See http://hed.state.nm.us.

• The San Diego State University's School of Nursing has received a $1 million “naming” gift from Sharp HealthCare to help support the school’s Human Patient Simulation Center. “Our state’s nursing shortage is well known, and our support of the Human Patient Simulation Center will help give nursing students the best education possible in the most efficient setting,” said Mike Murphy, President and CEO of Sharp HealthCare.  “This Center will enhance what already is an excellent nursing program at SDSU.” For more details, see http://nursing.sdsu.edu.

• The College of Nursing at Texas Woman’s University was recently awarded $714,600 in state appropriations from the 80th Texas Legislature to enhance the capacity of the MS in nursing program to graduate more nurse educators. The goals of the special appropriations include revising the current 36 semester credit hours program into an entirely online degree that can be completed in one calendar year. Funds will also be used to provide stipends to cover the cost of tuition, fees, and educational expenses for up to 12 full-time enrolled students. Ultimately, TWU plans to graduate more nursing education majors who can then commit to teaching in a Texas college or university. For complete details, see http://www.twu.edu/nursing/programs/ms/ms_nurse_educator.htm.

August 2007

• The University of Maryland School of Nursing and the U.S. Army Nurse Corps (ANC) have initiated an innovative partnership to help address the nurse faculty shortage. The pilot program calls for up to eight ANC officers to be utilized as undergraduate nursing faculty, at no cost to the school, for a maximum of two academic years. The first six ANC nurse educators will begin teaching this fall. “Faculty shortages across the nation are limiting student capacity,” says Dr. Janet D. Allan, dean of the School of Nursing.  “This mutually beneficial program will help us tackle our faculty shortage, allow us to continue educating large numbers of undergraduate students, and help the Army enhance officer training.  It is a win-win situation for both parties.” See http://nursing.umaryland.edu/news/2007/6-18.htm.

• A new partnership between the schools of nursing at University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV) and the University of Nevada-Reno (UNR) is focusing on ways to recruit and retain nurse educators, a critical step towards addressing the nursing shortage in Nevada. The surge in nursing school applications throughout the nation has sparked the demand for more doctorally-prepared nurse educators. To address this issue, UNLV School of Nursing Professor Lori Candela was awarded a $710,000 grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to develop a program accelerating the progression of master’s-prepared nursing students at UNLV and UNR into the existing PhD program at UNLV. The three-year project calls for exposing existing master’s students to doctoral courses, streamlining curriculum, and actively recruiting the current nursing workforce to attract and retain eligible doctoral students. See http://nursing.unlv.edu/about_news.html.

• Emory University's Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing has received a pilot grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) to create and implement an innovative quality and safety curriculum. The QSEN program is aimed at fostering revolutionary changes in the education of nurses across the more than 700 U.S. collegiate schools of nursing. "This nation is facing a crisis in healthcare quality and safety," says Dr. Marla Salmon, dean and professor of the school of nursing. "The QSEN program is setting the stage for nurses to play even more central roles in providing safe and positive care experiences for patients and their families. We are honored to have been selected to be among the leading schools of nursing nationally in this important work." For more details, see http://www.nursing.emory.edu/nursing.

• Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (JHUSON) faculty are partnering with four hospitals from the Greater Baltimore Metropolitan area in efforts to address the state’s nursing shortage. With funding from Maryland’s Health Services Cost Review Commission, the new partnerships are developing innovative programs and research that create both the leadership and an environment conducive to effective nursing practice. One partnership, implemented by Dr. Mary Terhaar in collaboration with the Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC), will provide complete tuition for four administrators and executives to participate in JHUSON’s Doctorate of Nursing Practice program and for ten nurse leaders to earn their Master of Nursing Science. The program uses an evidence-based practice model to help improve the orientation and preceptor programs at GBMC. For more details on this and other efforts, see http://www.son.jhmi.edu/newsevents/news/news.aspx?id=571.

• The PhD Program at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing was recently awarded a $843,232 HRSA grant to enhance the capacity of the program to graduate more nurse scholars who can educate future generations of nurses. The project’s goals include expanding the number and diversity of PhD students, enhancing the capability of the program’s distance education activities, and formalizing a nursing educator component. The PhD program will also welcome the first distance education class this fall. Until this year, the program has been taught using a traditional classroom environment. By offering non-traditional classes that include Web-based and Web-enhanced methods, the program will increase the opportunity for students to pursue advanced nursing careers, which is an important step in addressing the nursing shortage. See http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/nursing.

• On August 8, the Rhode Island Student Loan Authority (RISLA) announced an ambitious program to offset the state’s nursing crisis by enhancing the organization’s Nursing Reward Programs. Through this initiative, RNs and LPNs may apply for zero percent interest on Stafford Loans over the first four years of repayment, with the added benefit of $1,000 per year of principal forgiveness during the same four year period. Similarly, through the Nurse Educator Program, borrowers receive zero percent interest on Stafford Loans for the first four years of repayment, as well as $5,000 per year of principal forgiveness over the same four years. To qualify, borrowers must agree to work in an educator/faculty position at any of the accredited nursing schools in Rhode Island. For more details, see http://www.RISLA.com.

• On July 25, the Kansas Board of Regents announced that it had awarded $600,000 to bolster nursing faculty and educational offerings at 17 public higher education institutions across the state that offer RN programs. Funding was provided as part of the state’s ten-year initiative to address the nursing shortage. Several AACN member schools were awarded funds to add new faculty or bolster faculty salaries, including Fort Hays State University, Pittsburg State University, University of Kansas Medical Center, Washburn University, and Wichita State University.  For more information, see http://www.kansasregents.org.

• The Wayne State University College of Nursing received a $336,467, three-year federal training grant to initiate a Workforce Diversity Program aimed at improving recruitment and retention of BSN students from minority or economically disadvantaged backgrounds. In addition to providing scholarships, funding will be used to create a comprehensive support system for minority students, including a new Learning Community Retention Program.  For more details, see http://www.nursing.wayne.edu

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July 2007

• On July 25, Jim Kissler, CEO of Norco Inc., presented Boise State University with a $2 million gift on behalf of the Kissler Family Foundation to be used toward the construction of a new building that will house the Department of Nursing and the Student Health Wellness and Counseling Center. The Kissler Family Foundation gift was matched by $1 million gifts from both Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center and St. Luke’s Health System. In addition, generous support was given by Allen and Billie Noble, Ed and Shirley Bews, and the estate of Jody DeMeyer. “This building is so critical to the nursing department,” said Dr. Pam Springer, chair of the Nursing Department. “It will allow us the space we need to increase admissions to the program by 30 percent.” See http://www.boisestate.edu.

• The Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing (FSMFN) has recently been awarded two grants from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to enhance educational programs and provide student scholarships. With $685,000 in funding, FSMFN will expand its ADN-MSN bridge program which allows nurses with associate degrees to complete a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree. Expanding the school’s capacity to admit students through this option will allow FSMFN to educate an increased number of advanced practice nurses which are needed to serve across settings, including medically underserved and rural areas. For more information on this program and the scholarship funding, see http://www.midwives.org/home.html. 

• The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) College of Nursing has received a $932,000 HRSA grant to help reduce the shortage of public health nurses in Illinois. The grant will be used to recruit and train nurses in either a graduate degree in nursing through UIC's advanced community health nurse program or a joint master's degree in public health. "We need more and better prepared advanced public/community health nurses to care for our communities in such places as health departments, hospices, parish nurse programs, occupational health programs and schools," said the project’s principal investigator Dr. Kathleen Baldwin. For more details, see http://www.uic.edu.

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June 2007

• The North Texas Consortium of Schools of Nursing, in collaboration with area hospitals, developed 10 patient care teaching/learning modules to share with schools of nursing in Texas. These modules are based on high risk/high volume patient diagnoses likely to be encountered in nursing practice. The goal is to increase patient safety as well as the clinical competence and confidence of new nurses graduating from initial licensure programs in the state. All modules will be placed on the Texas Nurses Association’s website for local, state and national accessibility at a later time. The Consortium has been spearheaded by Dr. Elizabeth Poster, Dean of the School of Nursing at The University of Texas at Arlington and Dr. Paulette Burns, Dean of the Harris College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Texas Christian University. See http://www.uta.edu/nursing/news.

• University of Oklahoma College of Nursing professor, dean emeritus Dr. Patricia Forni, has been awarded a $3 million grant to prepare nurse educators to teach in Oklahoma. Funded by an anonymous donor, through the Communities Foundation of Oklahoma, this is the largest single grant in the history of the College of Nursing.  The grant will be used to combat the shortage of nursing faculty in Oklahoma by requiring scholarship recipients to work in an Oklahoma nursing program for a minimum of two years after graduating. See http://www.nursing.ouhsc.edu

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May 2007

• On May 14, Pace University’s Lienhard School of Nursing and the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) announced a $1.3 million program to provide nursing scholarships for 30 students in exchange for a commitment to work at an HHC facility for four years. The program is designed to quickly move nursing graduates into the profession and serves as a model for addressing the national nursing shortage. Pace's nursing program is the city’s first to offer a residency program and include a service commitment to public hospitals. Scholarships worth $40,000 will be given to individuals who want to change careers, already have a bachelor’s degree, and wish to earn their undergraduate nursing degree in one year through Pace’s combined degree program. See http://appserv.pace.edu/execute/page.cfm?doc_id=558.

• The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Health System has given the UAB School of Nursing $1 million to start an intensive 24 to 36 month master's program for persons who have a bachelor's degree in any field. This second degree program is designed to introduce 45 new nurses annually into the workforce. "Graduates from intensive master’s nursing program such as these are a good nursing workforce match to the missions of institutions like UAB Hospital and its magnet status, as well as all of our clinical partners,” said Dean Doreen Harper. “These students are highly talented and eager to enter the clinical nursing pool and faculty positions.” See http://main.uab.edu/sites/nursing/108587.

• The University of West Florida (UWF) has announced an endowment gift of $600,000 from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida to the UWF Foundation. The gift will provide support for launching a Master of Science in Nursing degree program at UWF with tracks in nursing education and nursing administration. With an anticipated match through the State of Florida’s Major Gifts Challenge program, the gift will create a $1.02 million endowment to support UWF’s nursing program. See http://uwf.edu/nursing.

• A $500,000 award from the University of Texas (UT) System will enable the School of Nursing at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston to create a multipurpose interdisciplinary research area crucial to the recruitment of research faculty. The funds for the research area come from the UT System’s Enrich Nursing Through Exceptional Recruitment (ENTER) program. “In a time of fiscal constraints and a faculty shortage, the ENTER grant is a godsend for the School of Nursing,” said Dean Pamela G. Watson. “We have been able to obtain financial support to provide research-related facilities and equipment to encourage talented, doctorally-prepared faculty to join us.” See http://www.son.utmb.edu.

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April 2007

• The new BSN-to-PhD in Nursing Track at The University of Texas at Arlington is now accepting students with BSN degrees for fall 2007 classes. “We originally planned to accept the next entering BSN-to-PhD class in 2008,” said Dr. Jennifer Gray, associate dean of the PhD program.  “However, the need for doctoral-prepared faculty to help alleviate the nursing shortage is so vital that we will admit a class this year.” For details including admission requirements, see http://www.uta.edu/nursing/PhD/program.php.

• The University of Mississippi School of Nursing has launched an accelerated degree program to address the shortage of nurses in the state’s health care workforce. This 15-month second degree program is made possible by a three-year, $750,000 grant from the Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). A major goal of this program is to increase enrollment of baccalaureate prepared RNs by 25 percent in three years with special focus on recruiting a more diverse student population. For more details, see http://son.umc.edu/news.htm

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March 2007

• On March 6, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University staged a patient safety training exercise for medical and nursing students, the first of its kind collaboration between the two universities. Approximately 460 medical and nursing students participated in this event along with more than 100 faculty and staff from both schools. Four different methods of instruction were used in this patient safety training to help the organizers evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each. This joint training was the first of four projects funded by a $1.65 million grant to UNC and Duke from the North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation. See http://nursing.unc.edu/new/press_releases/release.html?pr=1172811600.

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February 2007

• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF) has established a $3.5 million endowment at the University of Florida to open the BCBSF Center for Health Care Access, Patient Safety and Quality Outcomes. The new center will be housed in the College of Nursing and the College of Public Health and Health Professions and will work to significantly improve the health of Florida’s citizens. “The University of Florida is grateful for the generosity of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida and its dedication to improving Florida’s health care,” said UF President Bernie Machen. “With this new center, the state is positioned to become a national leader in health-care delivery, demonstrating that safe, high-quality care can be provided, and that health-care costs can be reduced by preventing medical errors and complications.” See http://news.ufl.edu/2007/01/26/bcbs-center.

• On February 15, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger awarded $3 million in grants to 16 different California nursing schools to help educate more nursing students in the state. “As we focus on reforming California’s broken health care system, we must ensure that we have the workforce to meet the growing demand for nurses. These grants will help expand enrollment in nursing programs and attract students from within the communities the nursing programs serve,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. See http://gov.ca.gov/index.php?/press-release/5432.

• On February 6, Northern Illinois University School of Nursing received a $450,000 grant from the Illinois Board of Higher Education to expand student enrollment, attract new faculty, and enhance the use of simulation technology. Funding will be used to hire one additional professor and two instructors, allowing the school to increase enrollment by 20%. In addition, the grant will allow the university to purchase three on-campus Human Patient Simulation Laboratories to ease the current shortage of educational sites. See http://www.niu.edu/PubAffairs/RELEASES/2007/feb/nursinggrant.shtml.

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Janurary 2007

• New York University's College of Nursing has announced the names of 20 Fellows who will participate in the second annual Leadership Institute for Black Nurses. The goal of the institute is to empower nurses who seek career advancement in education, research, and administration. "This program was established in keeping with a long tradition of commitment to black nursing leadership," says Dr. Terry Fulmer, dean of the College of Nursing. "Through education and mentorship, the institute serves as a resource to assist nurses who have shown great potential as health care leaders and seeks to expand the opportunities available to them." See http://www.nyu.edu/public.affairs/releases/detail/1386.

• In response to the nurse faculty shortage, Tennessee Governor Philip Bredesen and state health officials launched a campaign on January 22 to raise funds for a scholarship program that would help current RNs earn graduate degrees needed to teach nursing. The Graduate Nursing Loan Forgiveness Program - which the governor signed into law in 2006 - calls for $1.4 million in funding to pay for 100 RNs to return to school to complete graduate programs. After graduation, nurses receiving support would be expected to teach in an undergraduate nursing program in Tennessee for four years. See http://www.tennesseeanytime.org/governor/Newsroom.do?id=1.

• With approval by the State Board of Education, Boise State University will begin offering a master's level nursing program in fall 2007. Students may earn either a master of nursing or master of science in nursing degree, with an emphasis in public health. The program is designed to advance the careers of nurses already in the field, and will also prepare more nurses for teaching positions at Idaho universities. In a show of collaboration and support, Boise State University has also signed an agreement with Idaho State University to better coordinate the delivery of graduate nursing programs to Idaho students. See http://nursing.boisestate.edu/news/index.shtml.

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December 2006

• The Joseph and Nancy Fail School of Nursing at William Carey University in Mississippi was awarded a $1 million grant from the Asbury Foundation of Hattiesburg to construct an addition onto the existing nursing building located on the Hattiesburg campus. "What an amazing trust," said Dr. Mary Stewart, dean of the school of nursing. "The Asbury Foundation continues to be a strong supporter of our School of Nursing; we have the deepest gratitude for their partnership." The addition will provide space to educate more nurses at a time when the nursing shortage is nearly a crisis. See http://www.wmcarey.edu/asp/viewpr.asp?item=338.

• The College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Florida International University (FIU) recently named the Jorge and Darlene Perez Nursing Laboratory at the Health and Life Science Building at FIU's University Park campus. The naming and dedication ceremony was held on November 14, 2006 to honor Related Group Chairman and CEO Jorge M. Perez and wife Darlene Boytell-Perez for their $250,000 gift to the College. The Perez donation, coupled with a 50 percent state match, will provide the College with a total of $375,000 to add to its nursing endowment. "This generous gift will help support the advancement of the nursing programs at FIU and keep the laboratory on the cutting edge of health education," said nursing dean Divina Grossman. See http://chua2.fiu.edu/Nursing.

• On November 15, Kaiser Permanente in Northern California announced its award of $6 million to support two baccalaureate nursing programs and a workforce diversity initiative lead by the Hispanic College Fund. Through this initiative, almost $5.5 million will be given to Samuel Merritt College over a four-year period to expand its accelerated BSN program to 96 new students per year. In addition, a $150,000 loan forgiveness program was created at San Jose State University for 10 BSN students, and the Hispanic College Fund was given $260,000 over three years to support 10 nursing students in Northern California. See http://www.kaisersantarosa.org/news/kaiser/nursinggrant.

• The Department of Health and Human Services awarded D'Youville College a $28,800 grant to help increase the number of qualified nursing faculty. The funds will be used to establish a special Nurse Faculty Loan Program. Upon completion of an advanced degree program, recipients may cancel up to 85 percent of the loan over a designated period while serving as a full-time faculty member at a school of nursing. "This funding is an important step to help in the shortage of qualified nursing faculty. Many students are unable to enter nursing because there are no faculty to teach the courses," said nursing department chair Verna R. Kieffer.

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November 2006

• Carrying out a goal set by Illinois Governor Rod R. Blagojevich to stem the state's nursing shortage, officials from his administration opened the Illinois Center for Nursing in Springfield on November 2. The Center is responsible for assessing the current supply and demand for nurses in Illinois and developing a strategic plan to ensure that the state can educate, recruit and retain nurses. The center's advisory board will also work with state, regional and local businesses and governments to provide support for programs to expand opportunities for nurses in the state. See http://www.illinois.gov/PressReleases/PressReleasesSearch.cfm.
  
  
• On October 23, Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell unveiled two workforce development initiatives that will increase the number of nurse educators and expand clinical education opportunities for the growing student nurse population. The $4 million "Loaned Faculty" initiative provides funding so health care employers and nursing education providers can loan qualified teachers to nursing schools experiencing faculty shortages. The "Clinical Education" expansion initiative provides $3 million in grants to help nursing schools and health care providers expand clinical education opportunities for the growing number of nursing students in the state. See http://www.state.pa.us/papower/cwp/view.asp?A=11&Q=457355.

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October 2006

• The School of Nursing at The College of St. Scholastica (MN) received two federal grants totaling $1.5 million for two nursing education programs. The grants will support the development of a new DNP degree as well as a multifaceted initiative to increase workforce diversity. "We are delighted with the federal support that will enable us to initiate two important projects. We believe these efforts will significantly increase the positive impact of nurses and on health care," said School of Nursing Dean Dr. Martha T. Witrak. See http://www.css.edu/x1576.xml.
  
  
• The University of Maryland School of Nursing has received a five-year, $1 million grant from MedStar Health to support of the Governor's Wellmobile program. Managed by the School of Nursing, the Wellmobile travels throughout the state providing primary health care services to underserved and uninsured citizens. The program also provides a venue for students - at both the undergraduate and graduate level where clinical skills are honed - to gain experience in a community health setting. See http://nursing.umaryland.edu.
  
  
• Florida International University School of Nursing has partnered with Miami Dade College to operationalize a $1.2 million SUCCEED grant from the Florida Department of Education for the Expanded Nursing Capacity and Diversity Initiative (ENCDI). This initiative addresses the critical shortage of RNs and nursing faculty, the need for more nurses from minority backgrounds, and the need to innovative nursing education. Under ENCDI, both institutions will be able to increase nursing student enrollment, as well as implement innovative practices in nursing education through new technologies. See http://chua2.fiu.edu/Nursing.
  
  
• The University of South Florida (USF) College of Nursing, in partnership with Bethune-Cookman College (BCC) has established an initiative to boost the number of doctorate-level minority nursing faculty. Launched earlier this semester, five nursing instructors from BCC, a historically black college and university (HBCU), have been enrolled in USF's Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program. To support the program, USF is using $450,838 of a $1.28 million SUCCEED Florida Career Education Grant awarded to the school last year for the state's first DNP program. See http://hsc.usf.edu/nocms/nursing/newsannounce/newsannounce.html.
  
  
• The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has awarded a $1.3 million grant to the Arizona State University (ASU) College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation to fund a project to improve nurse retention and patient care. ASU's ultimate goal of the Nurses-to-Nurses project is to implement a working model for creating and sustaining a healthy and effective nursing work environment that can be adapted by health organizations across the United States. ASU will partner with Abrazo Health Care (AHC) of Arizona on the five-year initiative through 2011. See http://nursing.asu.edu.

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September 2006

• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee (BCBST) Health Foundation has awarded Vanderbilt University a $2.48 million, four-year grant to study premature births in high-risk women. This is the largest grant ever made by BCBST, and it will make a significant collaborative project possible that may save babies' lives and millions of dollars in health care money for Tennesseans. The grant funds Tennessee Connections for Better Birth Outcomes, a research project led by Dr. Patricia Temple, professor of Pediatrics and medical director for Nurses for Newborns, and Dr. Melanie Lutenbacher, associate professor of Nursing and Pediatrics and director of the PhD in Nursing Science Program at the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. See http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/nursing/media/release720.html.

• The University of Maryland School of Nursing has received the first year of funding, in the amount of $200,000, on a three-year program to develop a comprehensive higher education program for increasing awareness about the fight against breast cancer. "The Komen Maryland Affiliate Nursing Partnership: Advancing Education and Practice" - an innovative partnership with the Maryland Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation - is the first of its kind in the nation linking the Komen Foundation with a nursing school. "This funding initiative is intended to model a unique and innovative way for the Komen Foundation to emphasize critically important roles that nurses play in the fight against breast cancer," says Robin Prothro, executive director of Komen's Maryland affiliate and an alumna of the School of Nursing. See http://nursing.umaryland.edu/news/2006/8-28.htm

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July 2006

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June 2006

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May 2006

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March 2006

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February 2006

January 2006

• The Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission, the state agency charged with setting rates for Maryland Hospitals, in collaboration with the Maryland Higher Education Commission, has approved funding for a Nurse Support Program (NSP) in the amount $9.4 million a year over the next 10 years to support two initiatives to help alleviate Maryland’s critical shortage of nurse faculty and bedside nurses. Funding will be used to expand the pool of nurses in Maryland by increasing the capacity of nursing programs. The first statewide initiative will provide funding for graduate nursing faculty scholarships and living expenses, new nursing faculty fellowships, and state nursing scholarship and living expenses grants. The second program, the competitive institutional grants initiative, will expand the state’s nursing capacity through shared resources, increase the state’s nursing faculty, improve nursing student retention, and increase the pipeline for nurse faculty. See http://nursing.umaryland.edu/news/2005/12-21.htm.
  
  
• On January 10, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF) announced the donation of $600,000 each to the University of North Florida (UNF) and the University of Florida (UF) in an effort to address critical issues in nursing education. The State of Florida will match each gift at $420,000. UNF and UF were also awarded a $1.2 million SUCCEED grant from the state to increase the number of nurses who enter Florida's workforce. Dr. Robert I. Lufrano, chairman and CEO of BCBSF said “Through our Generation RN program, we are able to support nurse education plus address a critical workforce and health care need in Florida." Generation RN is a public/private partnership initiated by BCBSF to build an expanded, stable and culturally diverse nurse workforce in Florida. Combined with state matching dollars and other private support, BCBSF-endowed scholarships fund the education of more than 200 nursing students each year.
  
  
• On January 12, St. John Fisher College in New York announced that businessman Robert B. Wegman gave $8 million to the college to fund a new School of Nursing. The largest gift in Fisher’s history, the proposed school will be called the Wegmans School of Nursing. “I am very pleased that St. John Fisher College has chosen to use this gift for the creation of a School of Nursing,” explained Mr. Wegman, chairman of Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. “I am concerned about the future of health care, particularly the cost, and believe that addressing the nursing shortage is an important goal.” See http://www.sjfc.edu.
  
  
• The University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies will launch a fast-track program to prepare nursing instructors aided by a one-year, $1.28 million grant from the Florida Department of Education’s SUCCEED Florida Nursing Education Program. The six-month certificate program, which begins this month, will help Florida nursing schools to expand enrollment by increasing the number of clinicians who are qualified to teach. See http://www.miami.edu/nur.
  
  

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