School of Nursing receives grant for nurse practitioner program

The UH Manoa School of Nursing has been selected as a grant recipient by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, for the Advanced Education Nursing Traineeship (AENT) Program.

The School of Nursing will receive $648,000 to provide scholarships to 15 primary-care family or adult/gerontological nurse practitioner (NP) graduate students. The project will increase the number of primary-care NPs providing clinical care in rural communities by graduating 15 primary-care NPs committed to working in underserved communities in Hawaii by summer 2014.

“The most serious health problems in Hawai‘i are obesity, diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and asthma," said Nursing Dean Mary Boland.  "Yet, many people have to wait to get care or can’t access patient-centered care. The NP graduates from UH Manoa will increase access to needed healthcare services throughout the state."

The School will provide scholarships directly to UH Manoa students, with priority given to those in groups underrepresented in nursing, residents of rural islands of the state, and veterans.  The AENT Program will allow recipients the financial ability to study full time and graduate in two years.

Maureen Shannon, Graduate Chair and AENT Program Director, noted that the scholarships are a workforce investment in local nurses. “Hawaii nurses in rural communities return to school to expand their skills. As nurse practitioners, these locally connected nurses are well accepted and provide quality care with high patient satisfaction," Shannon said.

For more information about UH Manoa Nursing’s nurse practitioner programs, visit http://www.nursing.hawaii.edu/nursing-practitioner.html.

For more information, visit: http://www.nursing.hawaii.edu