The Department of Health and Human Services has awarded a $30,552 discretionary grant to help Minnesota State Mankato's School of Nursing expand baccalaureate enrollment, develop and implement internships and residency programs, and provide education in new technologies.
The grant is one of eight made to Minnesota nursing education programs as part of the department’s Nurse Education, Practice and Retention Grants program. The eight Minnesota grants, totaling $478,013, were announced July 12 by the department and Sen. Norm Coleman.
“There is currently a shortage of nurses and it will only intensify in the years to come,” Coleman said. “It is my hope that this funding helps make careers in nursing more viable and accessible for those interested in the field. This next generation of nurses needs the highest caliber of training available in order to succeed in this demanding and essential career field, and the public will benefit greatly from the resources these grants provide.”
A 2006 Health Resources and Services Administration report estimated that by the year 2020 the national nursing shortage would triple to more than one million nurses. Although applications to nursing programs have surged 59 percent over the past decade, the National League for Nursing estimates that 147,000 qualified applications were turned away in 2004. This represents a 27 percent decline in admissions over the previous year, indicating the need to increase capacity in nursing programs is more critical than ever.
In addition to the $30,552 to Minnesota State Mankato, other Minnesota institutions receiving grants are: Bemidji State University ($248,896), University of Minnesota ($78,903), Winona State University ($37,086), College of St. Scholastica ($34,704), Metropolitan State University ($21,438), Minneapolis School of Anesthesia ($12,882), St. Mary’s University of Minnesota ($11,137), and University of Minnesota Hospitals and Clinics ($2,415).
Coleman recently introduced the Nurse and Physical Therapist Education Act, which would provide grants to nursing schools for the recruitment and retention of new faculty, as well as the promotion of nursing student enrollment and graduation. During the first year, Coleman's bill would grant 10 awards of $100,000 to nursing schools for up to five years each, increasing to 30 awards in years three, four and five.
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