Federal Grant Awarded to LLU School of Nursing

LOMA LINDA >> The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration has awarded Loma Linda University School of Nursing a $2.05 million, three-year grant to expand and diversify its nurse practitioner education program to better prepare graduates to work in medically underserved areas such as many found in San Bernardino County. “San Bernardino County has lower than average educational attainment and higher than average unemployment and poverty rates, as well as high Medi-Cal enrollment," said U.S. Representative Pete Aguilar in a statement. "At the same time, the population is served by fewer than average primary care physicians and nurse practitioners per person, intensifying known health disparities.” “This grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration will enable Loma Linda University School of Nursing to provide much needed resources and programs in San Bernardino County,” Aguilar continued. The increase of students getting clinical experiences will in turn increase nurse practitioners, which can help solve the shortage. The grant will allow the School of Nursing to achieve this objective by hiring additional faculty for the nurse practitioner program, with priority given to underrepresented minorities who meet requisite qualifications. It will also provide for the creation and expansion of academic-practice partnerships in order to provide more clinical training opportunities in medically underserved populations and increasing students’ clinical hours in training with inter-professional teams in medically underserved areas. Expanding minority enrollment in the nurse practitioner program, and augmenting the curriculum and training for both preceptors and students increases the likelihood of Loma Linda University’s nurse practitioner students working in medically underserved areas after graduation. “This grant will help nurse practitioner students understand the great health needs of the population in the Inland Empire and will increase the likelihood that the graduates of the LLU School of Nursing program will choose to continue working in this region," said Dr. Dean Elizabeth Bossert. Competition for the grant was intense, according to Dr. Betty Winslow, professor and research director of the School of Nursing. “We are very pleased that the project team has received this grant for the School of Nursing graduate program,” she said. This news was received in tandem with another grant recently received for the nurse practitioner program from the state of California’s Song-Brown grant program. The $80,000 Song-Brown grant will also allow the school to increase efforts to prepare nurse practitioner students to work with diverse patient populations. At the same time, it will work to increase diversity within the profession through mentoring potential future nurse practitioners.