Binghamton University to use federal grant to train nurses for work in rural areas

VESTAL, N.Y. — Binghamton University’s Decker School of Nursing will use a federal grant of $350,000 to “fully fund” the training of nurses for work in rural areas.

The training targets advanced-practice registered nurse (APRN) students at Binghamton University, the school said in a news release.

The project aims to “place nurses into rural and underserved populations at a faster rate.”

Binghamton will use the advanced education nursing traineeship (AENT) grant to implement a project that provides funding for 17 full-time graduate students. Those students are enrolled in advanced-practice nursing programs studying primary-care need.

The project aims to “accelerate” graduation time and increase the number of students enrolled in nursing programs who are underrepresented minorities, veterans, and/or come from rural areas.

The project is part of Binghamton University’s upcoming academic year. The school has selected 17 students who will begin registration this month.

“It is important that our schools have the tools and resources they need to train the next generations of nurses,” U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.), who helped secure the funding, said in the Binghamton news release. “We currently are facing a shortage of primary-care professionals, and this funding will go a long way to ensure we have more trained nurses ready to address 21st century healthcare challenges. The Decker School of Nursing at Binghamton University will use this investment to prepare their students with the experience they need to become advanced-practice primary-care providers.”

Funding for the project comes from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). HRSA is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The school is “particularly excited,” as this has the “potential” to enhance recruitment and retention of the APRN workforce in rural populations, Nicole Rouhana, director of graduate nursing programs at Binghamton University, said in the school’s release.

“Because students from rural counties are often times already established as respected community members, they tend to remain in place and not relocate. This helps create a stable, rural workforce that is already in place and is familiar with the community and the existing strengths and challenges,” said Rouhana.

The university will monitor the project during the academic year through “specific” measures that include academic progression and clinical-training activities.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com