HHS putting $13M into growing, strengthening the nursing workforce
The investment will go towards getting more experienced licensed clinicians who can supervise nursing students.
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In an effort to address the ongoing shortage of nurses in the U.S healthcare system, the Department of Health and Human Services has awarded $13 million to bolster nursing education and training to grow the nursing workforce and improve access to nursing education.
The awards, administered through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), are part of a series of investments across HHS and the Department of Labor to support pathways into good, quality nursing jobs. Investing in the nursing workforce pipeline has been a key component of President Biden's goal to improve the safety and quality of care in nursing homes.
WHAT'S THE IMPACT?
One significant factor constraining admissions to nursing schools, said HHS, is the limited availability of nursing preceptors – experienced licensed clinicians who supervise nursing students during their clinical rotations. Nursing preceptors are a bridge between training and practice, providing direct instruction to nursing students in the clinical setting.
Without sufficient preceptors, nursing schools cannot admit as many students, new students are delayed in starting their clinical rotations, and prospective nursing students may be stymied and choose other career paths, said HHS.
The investment works to reverse this trend. HRSA is awarding over $8.4 million to 10 awardees through the Clinical Faculty and Preceptor Academies Program. These awards will support partnerships among academics, clinicians and the community designed to support clinical nursing faculty and preceptors, which is intended to help increase the capacity of the program to train more nurses.
HRSA is also awarding $4.75 million to 14 awardees through the Registered Nurse Training Program to increase the number of nursing students trained in acute care settings. This program aims to improve health outcomes and health equity by strengthening the capacity and skill set of undergraduate student nurses prepared to provide high-quality, culturally sensitive care in underserved communities.
The ongoing COVID pandemic has further highlighted the need for a well-trained and culturally competent nursing workforce, HHS said. Registered Nurse Training Program awardees will address this need through nursing education models with a strong focus on nursing needs in acute care.
HHS expects these models will prepare nursing students to practice collaborative, interprofessional team-based care in acute care settings, identify and understand the social determinants of health present in underserved communities, and address complex care needs of populations at highest risk for health disparities.
Clinical Faculty and Preceptor Academies Program awards recipients can be found here. Registered Nurse Training Program awards can be found here.
THE LARGER TREND
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is attempting to address the national nursing shortage through a new program designed to make it more affordable for student nurses to complete their education and join the workforce.
The UPMC Schools of Nursing Tuition Loan Forgiveness program will help alleviate financial obstacles for students pursuing a nursing career, the university said last week.
Starting in January 2023, students who enroll and successfully complete their first semester at a UPMC School of Nursing location and meet academic requirements are eligible to receive up to $7,000 per semester in tuition loan forgiveness for all remaining semesters, with a commitment to work three years at a UPMC facility following graduation.
When the American Nurses Association called on the Department of Health and Human Services last year to declare the nursing shortage a national crisis, it cited COVID-19 as a complicating factor that has exacerbated underlying chronic nursing workforce shortage challenges. While the initial focus at the start of the pandemic was on equipment shortages and a dearth of ventilators and personal protective equipment, the ANA said the focus must now shift to the human resource shortage, which the group cited as "more dire" and potentially threatening to patient care.
The group provided numbers that highlight the extent of the challenge. Mississippi, for example, has seen a decrease of 2,000 nurses since the beginning of 2021. Hospitals in Tennessee are operating with 1,000 fewer staff members than at the beginning of the pandemic, which prompted them to call on the National Guard for reinforcements.
At the same time, Texas is recruiting 2,500 nurses from outside the state, a number that will still fall short of expected demand. Meanwhile, Louisiana had more than 6,000 unfilled nursing positions open across the state before the Delta variant caused a surge in cases.
Twitter: @JELagasse
Email the writer: jeff.lagasse@himssmedia.com
