Grant Aides UW Nursing Online Program to Expand Statewide |
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Aug. 14, 2007 -- The Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing has won a second round of funding for the nurse, education, practice and retention continuation proposal, LEAP (Leadership Education to Advance Practice) at the University of Wyoming.
The Health Resources and Services Administration awarded an $850,000 grant for a three-year period to allow the UW School of Nursing to continue its innovative work with the online registered nurse/bachelor of science in nursing degree program and expand the program statewide.
"Rural populations are vulnerable to increased health risks. We looked at our population in Wyoming, and health disparities are evident," says Connie Diaz Swearingen, project coordinator.
In Wyoming, the death rate due to Alzheimer's disease is 50 percent higher than the national average. The occupational death rate is three times higher than the national average and the death rates of teens and young children both outstrip the national averages, Swearingen says. At the same time, Wyoming like every other state, faces a nursing shortage.
"Wyoming is a wonderful place to live, but we are not going to be able to import those nurses. Expanding access to higher education for nurses already living and practicing in Wyoming communities is an important step in meeting the increasing health care needs of our state," Swearingen adds.
The project has two objectives. One is to pave the way to earlier entry and faster completion of bachelor degree nursing programs and the other is to address critical public health issues that rural Wyoming residents face. Faculty will concentrate on recruiting nurses and associate degree students statewide to facilitate entry into the baccalaureate program.
The project's goal is to have a better-educated workforce in Wyoming. If successful, this project will increase the number of nurses prepared at the baccalaureate level. The nurses will be better prepared to meet the unique community health needs in Wyoming, Swearingen says.
Funding allows faculty members to travel for face-to-face advising. The project will begin testing the success of some onsite classes in selected areas in addition to online classes.
The program is designed to fit with the new endowed position in Sheridan, increasing the impact on associate degree nurses and graduates in that area. Project faculty includes Susie Hager, Linda Williams, Janice Stephens and Carol Macnee in addition to the project Director Pamela Clarke.
"This grant is a continuation grant," Swearingen says. In the first round, the program was designed to boost nursing education in southwest and west central Wyoming.
"We're very excited because those areas are not the only places in the state where nurses need help getting a bachelor's degree sooner," she says.
Posted on Tuesday, August 14, 2007
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