Nurse practitioner is the fastest growing occupation in the country, with employment in the profession expected to increase 46 percent within 10 years. The government has issued a fresh round of funding to support nursing schools in expanding training for students.
HHS on Aug. 10 announced a $100 million investment to bolster the nursing workforce, the majority of which will go toward advanced practice programs. Nearly $35 million will go toward the Advanced Nursing Education Workforce program, which, according to a Medscape report, will support 56 nursing programs to establish clinical partnerships for advanced practice registered nurses specializing in primary care, maternal care and mental healthcare.
Another $30 million will support the Advanced Nursing Education-Nurse Practitioner Residency and Fellowship Program. To address a shortage of nurse educators, (which often limits the number of qualified applicants a school can accept) more than $26 million will go toward a program that provides low-interest loans and loan cancellations to support nursing schools in encouraging more people to pursue faculty positions.
Joan Stanley, NP, chief academic officer for the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, told Medscape the funding may enable schools already at or near capacity to expand their admissions. For instance, nursing programs at the University of Tennessee and Grand Valley (Mich.) State University will use grant money to expand clinical partnerships to train APRN students.