School of Nursing Receives Grant to Provide Quality Care for Underserved Communities

By Jiaxi Zhang

George Mason University’s School of Nursing has received a grant of more than $1.3 million from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Building on the existing Mason and Partners (MAP) Clinic academic-practice model, this grant will enhance training and improve the competencies for advanced practice registered nursing (APRN) students. This project will link academia and practice partnerships for enhanced student learning in an attempt to address health disparities for underserved and rural populations.

Dr. Caroline Sutter, associate professor in Mason’s School of Nursing and co-director of the MAP Clinics, leads and oversees this grant.

“By exposing APRN students to these concepts in their education we will produce graduates who are professionally prepared and who have an expanded skill set focused on wellness and population care, with a renewed focus on patient-centered care, care coordination, data analytics, and quality improvement,” Sutter said.

In addition to the expansion of the APRN curriculum, twenty-six (26) $10,000 stipends will be offered to students in the first year of the grant and 30 $10,000 stipends the second year. This will be beneficial to students who participate in this specialized grant training and prepare them for providing quality care for underserved and marginalized populations post-graduation.

Recognizing the need to educate practicing RN’s, preceptors and faculty on these same concepts this grant will also provide professional continuing education opportunities in a coordinated and collaborative capacity to anyone interested in expanding their skill set.

The project’s proposed enhanced community practice relationships coupled with expanded academic-practice partnerships, will address workforce diversification and training needs.

Work on the grant will start in July 2018 and be completed in late June 2020.