GSW School of Nursing, RCI awarded $763,000 from HRSA

AMERICUS—Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) and the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving (RCI) have been awarded $763,914 to establish a Prescription for Academic Success (PAS) program within the School of Nursing for students from economically and educationally disadvantaged backgrounds, including minority students. The funding comes from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“Quality health care for all is critical, and a culturally diverse nursing workforce is essential to meeting health care needs in Georgia and the United States,” said HRSA Grant Project Director Leisa Easom, Ph.D and Charles L. Mix Eminent Scholar. “The Prescription for Academic Success program allows for tailoring support to the academic and social/cultural needs of the students. Academic mentoring and retention activities will be driven by the student’s prescription for academic success.”

The funding was awarded based on a joint proposal submitted by the GSW School of Nursing and the RCI. A number of dedicated individuals played important roles in the success of the proposal. They include Easom; Rick Birkel, Ph.D., project consultant and RCI Executive Director; William Tietjen Ph.D., former GSW Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs; Sandra Daniel Ph.D., project consultant and GSW School of Nursing dean; and Lisa Cooper, Ph.D., evaluation consultant and director of GSW institutional research.

Birkel said the PAS Project demonstrates the commitment of the RCI and GSW to address growing workforce needs in caregiving fields such as nursing.

“RCI and GSW have worked hand-in-hand on several workforce development initiatives,” Birkel said. “Besides this project, we also created a Caregiving Specialist Certificate program at GSW and are currently conducting state-wide training for family caregivers and home health agencies with support from HealthCare Georgia Foundation”. 

The Caregiving Specialist Certificate Program launched in 2007 is an interdisciplinary program designed to prepare students for continued study and leadership in a caregiving field. This Certificate is the only one of its kind in the state and represents a unique commitment of Georgia Southwestern State University to prepare leaders in the field of Caregiving. The HealthCare Georgia Foundation has provided two years of grant funding to GSW and RCI to train caregivers in all regions of the state in evidence-based practices in home care and family caregiver support. 

“The PAS project is another program that sets GSW apart as a leader in workforce development in health care,” said Birkel. “This major investment of HRSA in the GSW Nursing School is one of only ten awards made in the United States this year. With this support, GSW will be better able to meet the state’s need for more nurses who are better educated and come from more diverse backgrounds.” Birkel said.

Disseminated over three years, this is the University’s first HRSA grant, and the funding period begins September 1, 2008 with $210,000. The second year of the grant yields $277,254 and the third year $276,660. The program has an overall goal of increasing the number of registered nurses graduating from GSW by 50 percent. Historically, GSW nursing school graduates pass required exit exams at a rate of 91 percent.

To accomplish this goal, the project will provide academic and social support and mentoring to 50 students over the three year grant period. Funds will be used to provide scholarships, recruit students, hire additional staff, and purchase training supplies and equipment. Realizing the importance of clinical training, the project director will use part of the grant funds to purchase a patient simulator for hands-on training. This simulator allows students to experience a wide variety of patient scenarios and will greatly increase real-life clinical opportunities for GSW nursing students.

This grant comes at an opportune time for the healthcare industry. According to HRSA, the supply of nurses in the U.S. is on track to fall by 36 percent (more than 1 million nurses) below requirements by the year 2020 without serious intervention.  Georgia’s nursing shortage is one of the worst nationwide. According to the Georgia Nurses Association, Georgia had a 7% nursing shortage in 2000, a 15% shortage in 2005; will have a 23% shortage in 2010; a 32 % shortage in 2015, and 40% shortage in 2020.

“The additional support provided to students will have a direct and positive impact on retention and graduation from our nursing program and help GSW continue its role in addressing the Nursing shortage in Georgia,” said Daniel.

The mission of HRSA is to provide national leadership, program resources and services needed to improve access to culturally competent, quality health care.

For information about this program or the Georgia Southwestern School of Nursing, call (229) 931-2275.

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