The University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s College of Nursing receives grant from West Cancer Foundation

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s College of Nursing has received a grant from the West Cancer Foundation for its project entitled “Providing the Oncology Workforce Education and Resources (POWER) for Nursing Program.” The grant totals $144,469 and will fund several initiatives to enhance oncology education for nurses at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

According to an article on the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s website, the College of Nursing Dean Wendy Likes, PhD, DNSC, APRN-BC, FAAN, FAANP, was quoted as saying of the grant award, “We are excited to offer this opportunity to our students and very pleased to collaborate with a community partner like West Cancer Foundation in order to meet the needs of our health care partners in the Mid-South. We truly value our community partners and constantly seek ways to meet their needs through our educational programming.”

There are four facets to the POWER Nursing Program that will become possible thanks to the grant from the West Cancer Foundation. These include the funding of a Distinguished Visiting Professorship in Oncology Nursing, the development of an elective course within the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program that is focused on oncology, the funding of two oncology nurse scholars and two oncology research nurse scholars.

The event featuring the Distinguished Visiting Professorship in Oncology Nursing has been scheduled for February 3, 2025, and will include continuing education credits. The elective course for oncology within the BSN program is expected to be available to students in 2025.

The Oncology Scholars program, for both the nurse scholars and research nurse scholars, is also expected to begin in 2025. The program will be available to students who are in the final year of their BSN program and will provide the opportunity for students to work in oncology settings throughout the Mid South in paid clinical or research roles. The students who are chosen as Oncology Scholars will also take on more oncology education in their final year of study, and will also agree to work in an oncology environment after they graduate.

Leighanne Soden, the president of West Cancer Foundation, shared her thoughts about what University of Tennessee Health Science Center is planning to do with the grant funding. She said, “We’re thrilled to continue our partnership with UT Health Science Center with this latest grant that will significantly improve the education and research opportunities for oncology nursing in our community. Oncology nursing is a very specific specialty, and increasing the number of resources available to oncology nurses in training is a key priority for West Cancer Foundation to continue to break through barriers to cancer care.”

West Cancer Foundation has awarded 17 grants to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, totaling more than $2 million.

For more information about the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, visit the school’s website.