UB School of Nursing Wins Scholarship Grant to Boost Diversity and Help Displaced Workers

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The University at Buffalo School of Nursing has received an $80,000 scholarship grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) to expand enrollment and increase diversity among students seeking to receive a nursing degree through accelerated nursing programs.

Funds are sponsored through the RWJF New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program (NCIN). NCIN provides grants to schools of nursing to grow student capacity and diversify the workforce using Accelerated BSN programs. These programs allow those with a bachelor's degree in another discipline to get a nursing degree in only 12 months of full-time study.

"We need to be able to produce nurses faster and more efficiently," says Susan Grinslade, PhD, undergraduate chair and clinical professor in the UB School of Nursing, who wrote the grant.

The program is designed to address America's severe nurse shortage, which is expected to reach a quarter of a million by 2025. In the next 10 years, Western New York is slated to face RN shortfalls of 32 percent in Erie County. That shortage grows to as high as 66 percent in rural areas.

However, increased enrollment is not the only objective. The scholarship is also designed to enroll individuals who are traditionally underrepresented in nursing. On average, 50 percent of UB's Accelerated BSN students have been from groups considered disadvantaged or underrepresented in nursing by gender, race or financial status.

"The UB School of Nursing is committed to having its graduates represent the same diversity as the communities for whom they provide care," says Grinslade, "and has partnered with the Buffalo and Erie Workforce Investment Board Inc. (WIB) in an effort to attract a diverse student body."

The WIB operates a partnership of local businesses, government, education, labor and human services agencies that work together to provide a one-stop approach for job development, and is often the first stop for displaced workers.

Funds through the NCIN program are given directly to students, providing each of eight UB students a one-time disbursement of $10,000.

"Students returning for a second degree may have many more personal, family and financial challenges," says Grinslade, "and they may be the primary wage earner in the family."

"This scholarship can be used for tuition, household expenses or sustenance in general."

The UB Accelerated BSN program is registered with the New York State Department of Labor as a 599 Training Program, which allows displaced workers, once enrolled, to receive unemployment insurance benefits while they attend training, penalty free.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB's more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.