The University of South Carolina College of Nursing has received two federal HRSA grants totaling $371,000 aimed at increasing the workforce for advanced practice nurses and doctoral prepared nursing faculty. New funding for each grant builds upon previously documented success.
The HRSA Advanced Education Nursing Traineeship (AENT) provides scholarships for 35 advanced practice nursing students from rural counties and underserved regions in South Carolina. The Nurse Faculty Loan Repayment (NFLP) provides loan repayment for graduate nurses who want to want to pursue a career in nursing education.
PhD program Director, Dr. DeAnne K. Hilfinger Messias stated, “The HRSA traineeships will provide essential support for student in the PhD in Nursing Science program who are preparing to become nurse scientists. Most of our PhD graduates combine the roles of nurse scientist and nurse educator, and HRSA funding provides an additional incentive for our graduates to seek employment opportunities in higher education.”
DNP program Director, Dr. Stephanie Burgess said, “The purpose of the HRSA Nursing Training initiative is to increase the number of primary care Nurse Practitioners (NPs), with the emphasis on recruiting and training NP students in rural and/or underserved communities and those that represent diversity, including disadvantaged or under representative groups or those from rural and or/underserved areas, targeting the Promise Zone Counties in particular. Research demonstrates that Nurse Practitioners are very safe autonomous providers that demonstrate excellent patient outcomes, high patient satisfaction, and increase access to care.”
South Carolina (SC) has 42 out of 46 counties designated as rural and/or underserved, comprising 4.5 million residents (US Census, 2010). Approximately, 25% of the population is uninsured. With an overall ranking of “F” in health care, South Carolina ranks 42nd among the states for primary care access and outcomes and 44th for determinants of health (United Health Foundation, 2015).
College of Nursing Dean, Dr. Jeannette Andrews said, “South Carolina continues with an alarming shortage of nurses, including nursing faculty and advanced practice nurses. These resources from HRSA are provided directly to our students, which helps mitigate their costs for graduate nursing education. This HRSA funding, along with our recent Jonas Scholars funding, Blue Cross Blue Shield funding, and internal scholarships/fellowships for masters and doctoral nursing students are vital for eligible nurses to pursue graduate education without the burden of debt.”
The USC College of Nursing supports two doctoral nursing programs: the PhD in Nursing science and the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). In addition to the doctoral programs, the USC College of Nursing offers Master's, Post-Master's, and Undergraduate (Bachelor of Science) Programs in nursing. With over 1700 students enrolled, the USC flagship CON is nationally recognized for its' cutting edge and high quality education, research, and practice.
To learn more about the HRSA grant program, visit http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/nursing/grants/aent.html .
This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS, or the US Government.