University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s College of Nursing receives grant to support rural nurses

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s College of Nursing has received a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor via its Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities Initiative. The grant will fund the school’s Delta Nurse Scholars program, which helps graduates of its nursing programs transition from their schooling into working in a rural or underserved area’s medical center.

According to an article on The University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s website, Randy Johnson, PhD, RN, the principal investigator of the grant, and an Associate Professor and the Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Programs, was quoted as saying of the grant, “This grant is a great opportunity for the students to complete their nursing degree and have experiences in rural and underserved areas while having their costs of education reduced significantly.”

The grant will work to fund the Delta Nurse Scholars program, which began at the end of September. During each of the three years of grant funding, it will fully pay for 13 senior nursing students to participate in the program, including tuition, books, and fees. The Delta Nurse Scholars program aims to make the transition from school to working in an underserved or rural area easier for recent nursing graduates, as the school suggests that a significant percentage of first-year nurses leave their position within a year. The Delta Nurse Scholars program aims to decrease that percentage by providing many different avenues of support. 

The Delta Nurse Scholars program will provide participants with one year of mentoring and training, as well as for one year after graduating and while working in a rural community. In preparation for working in rural and underserved areas, these student nurses will also receive additional training in working with aggressive patients, caring for individuals with sickle cell disease, and gaining an understanding of different social drivers of health.

The team for the grant project consists of Dr. Johnson, Associate Professor Jami Smith Brown, DHEd, RN, CNN, Assistant Professor Alise Farrell, PhD, MSN, RN, Executive Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Charleen McNeill, PhD, MSN, RN, and Dean Wendy Likes, PhD, DNSc, APRN-BC, FAAN, FAANP. These individuals will work with rural hospitals, such as Regional One Health, Dyersburg Hospital, and various Baptist Memorial Health Care locations, to secure internships for the Delta Nurse Scholars students. 

Dean Likes said, “We are proud and honored to receive this funding which we hope will be instrumental in retaining newly graduated nurses in areas with nursing and health care gaps within the Delta Region.”

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