GREENSBORO, N.C. — The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) School of Nursing has been awarded a grant worth nearly $2.6 million through the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration. The administration awarded faculty members through an Advanced Nursing Education Workforce (ANEW) grant.
This $2,595,303 grant will be provided to a group of faculty members led by Wanda Williams, PhD, RN, MSN, WHNP-BC, CNE and will be given out over a span of four years.
The grant will be used help increase the number of prepared nurse practitioners to give primary care to undeserved and rural communities around Guilford County and throughout the country. More than half of the funds will cover student fees such as tuition, stipends, and books.
“This funding will substantially benefit the people of North Carolina because UNCG will be able to educate more nurse practitioners to help ameliorate the primary care shortage and increase access to health care in our state,” said the dean of the School of Nursing, Debra J. Barksdale, PhD, FNP-BC, CNE, FAANP, ANEF, FAAN.
This new grant will also help the school support its students from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds to earn a graduate degree from one of UNCG’s two nurse practitioner programs – either adult gerontological primary care nurse practitioner (AGPCNP) or family nurse practitioner (FNP).
The new FNP concentration will begin this fall and will provide students who wish to further their education an admission to the nationally recognized doctor of nursing practice (DNP) program after completing the master of science in nursing program.
“It is essential to ensure a diversified workforce of health professionals that is reflective of the communities and populations being served,” Williams said. “Financial barriers can be a major deterrent for many nurses from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds, and the ANEW program will significantly help reduce this barrier for registered nurses wishing to achieve an advanced degree.”
As part of the grant, Cone Health will provide clinical sites and other opportunities for nurse practitioner students and train preceptors to mentor students.
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