UofL School of Nursing awarded nearly $5 million for nursing education

As the educator of the most baccalaureate-prepared nurses in Kentucky, the University of Louisville School of Nursing has received $4.8 million to support undergraduate nursing education. Committed funds of $2.4 million has been awarded from long-standing partners UofL Health and Owensboro Health, along with a matching grant of $2.4 million from the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education's Healthcare Workforce Investment Fund (HWIF).

Data from the Kentucky Board of Nursing, the Kentucky Nurses Association, and the American Hospital Association document the significant need for additional nurses in Kentucky. The School of Nursing's ongoing commitment to increase access to quality nursing education across the commonwealth is helping to address local, state and regional health care workforce shortages.

"Our objective is to address the shortage of practice-ready registered nurses by increasing access to baccalaureate nursing education across Kentucky," said Whitney Nash, dean of UofL School of Nursing. "This collaborative effort with health care partners will provide greater opportunity to recruit and train more nurses, and meet workforce needs in medically underserved areas of Kentucky."

The funding provides greater opportunities for students to obtain significant financial support, therefore reducing the amount students need to work while pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. The award also will help lessen student loan debt and provide students guaranteed employment upon graduation.

These dedicated HWIF scholarships, in addition to the school's other academic scholarships, will increase the overall number of financially supported nursing students at UofL.

Research shows that an increased ratio of BSN-prepared nursing staff within a health care facility can lead to improved patient outcomes with regards to mortality, post-surgical complications, rapid response recognition, length of stay and readmissions.

With nine Kentucky counties in the UofL Health service area and 16 counties in the Owensboro Health service area, UofL BSN graduates employed by these health care partners can impact the health of Kentuckians in 21% of the commonwealth's counties - the majority of which are designated rural and medically underserved areas.

"This grant and health care partnership make a BSN education more accessible and affordable for students, which is a true win-win for the community and the commonwealth," Nash said.