FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                               

For more information, contact:

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Sheila Champlin – (901) 448-4957, schampli@uthsc.edu or

Dena Owens – (901) 448-4072, dowens10@uthsc.edu

 

 

 The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

College of Nursing

Receives $814,100 Grant from Health Resources and Services Administration

__________________________________________________

Project Expands Nursing Education Opportunities for Disadvantaged Students

__________________________________________________

 

            Memphis, Tenn. (August 17, 2011) – Tommie L. Norris, DNS, RN, associate professor of Nursing and director of the Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) Program at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) College of Nursing, has received a grant totaling $814,100 from the Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services.  The award will be used to fund her project entitled “Increasing Nursing Education Opportunities for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds.”   The award will be distributed over a three-year period.

            Although the College of Nursing has a history of educating diverse students, this grant will provide resources to improve recruitment and retention.  The need for an increased workforce and for more diversity in nursing is supported by state and national data that confirms a diversity gap in Tennessee and the nation.  Funding will be used to recruit individuals from educationally or economically-disadvantaged backgrounds, which includes racial and ethnic minorities, to meet the national goal to improve health care education access.  

“More nurses, a more diverse nursing workforce, and diversity training are needed to change the culture of healthcare,” said Dr. Norris.  “This project will provide resources to increase diversity in nursing by increasing the number of under-represented minority applicants and individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds who gain access to nursing programs and who successfully graduate and become active healthcare providers”.

To recruit disadvantaged students and increase the proportion of minorities in nursing, the grant will provide resources to implement pre-entry programs and support an ongoing retention program for the master’s entry (pre-licensure) program.  Academic, social, and financial support services will be available for candidates in both programs.  Pre-entry activities include preparation for pre-entrance exams, financial workshops, mentoring, and sessions on improving academic skills.  Retention efforts include social support services, tutoring, financial aid and scholarship advisement, leadership training and sessions on innovative approaches to preparing for the National Council Licensure Exam for Registered Nurses.

UTHSC nursing education opportunities help to maintain a pipeline of qualified, diverse candidates for the nursing profession.   The pre-entry cohort will help to overcome barriers common to students from disadvantaged backgrounds, thus improving their chances for success upon enrolling in a nursing program. 

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the primary Federal agency for improving access to health care services for people who are uninsured, isolated or medically vulnerable.  For more information about HRSA, visit www.hrsa.gov.

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service.  In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrates its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care.  Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy.  The UTHSC campus in Knoxville includes a College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, and an Allied Health Sciences unit.  In addition, the UTHSC Chattanooga campus includes a College of Medicine and an Allied Health Sciences unit.  Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state.  For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu.

###