Delta State University’s Robert E. Smith School of Nursing was recently awarded an Advanced Education Nursing Traineeship (AENT) grant for the second consecutive year by the Health Resources and Services Administration.
This grant award, in the amount of $173,120, funds the RESSON project Meeting the GAPS (Grant for Advanced Practice Students) for the 2015-16 academic year.
The federal funding provides financial assistance to Master of Science in Nursing students who are seeking a concentration as a nurse practitioner, and it allows them to enroll and prepare academically in their program of study.
The grant provides tuition, fees and a reasonable living allowance for eight nursing students, with the intended outcomes of increasing the number of primary care providers in the Mississippi Delta, and increasing the number of minorities as primary care providers in the Delta.
“Delta State is continuously seeking funding to decrease the financial burden of higher education for qualified students, especially in our programs of study that address a community need,” said Robin Boyles, director of the university’s Office of Institutional Grants. “Programs such as this are critical to addressing poor health outcomes and contributing to the economic development of the Mississippi Delta.”
RESSON’s Dr. Vicki Bingham is thrilled for the continued support.
“These grant funds provide nurses in the Mississippi Delta an opportunity to receive advanced education as a family nurse practitioner,” said Bingham. “In this primary care provider role, they are able to meet the healthcare needs and improve health outcomes for many people throughout our communities of the Mississippi Delta.”
The Health Resources and Services Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The purpose of the AENT Program is to increase the number of advanced nurses who are trained to practice as primary care providers and/or nursing faculty to address the nurse faculty shortage that inhibits nursing schools from educating the number of nurses needed to meet demand.
Statutory Funding Preference is given to applicants that will substantially benefit rural or underserved populations, or help meet public health nursing needs in state or local health departments. Special consideration is given to eligible entities that agree to expend the award to train advanced education nurses who will practice in Health Professional Shortage Areas. For more information on the Advanced Education Nursing Traineeship program, visit http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/nursing/grants/aent.html
RESSON offers the only Master of Science in Nursing and Doctor of Nursing Practice within a 100-mile radius. It is accredited by the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning and the Commissions of Collegiate Nursing Education. Almost 70 percent of the Family Nurse Practitioners who graduate from the RESSON remain in the Mississippi Delta region and are practicing in Rural Health Clinic settings and Health Professional Shortage Areas. All counties that comprise the Mississippi Delta region are considered medically underserved areas.
For more information on the Robert E. Smith School of Nursing, visit https://www.deltastate.edu/school-of-nursing/.
