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The Advanced Education Nursing Traineeship grant was bestowed by the Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This is the second time Sacred Heart has received an AENT grant.
Susan DeNisco, a professor in the graduate nursing program of the College of Nursing, said through this award, Sacred Heart will provide up to $22,000 annually to five eligible full-time graduate students and up to $11,000 to 18 eligible part-time graduate students enrolled in its FNP program.
DeNisco, who is the project director of the grant proposal this year and grant recipient in 2014, said there has been a sharp rise in the shortage of primary-care physicians. The role of FNP was created more than 50 years ago to fill this gap and provide primary care services to those who need it the most.
The grant is set up so minority students and students from disadvantaged backgrounds receive financial aid and clinical training in health care centers in medically underserved communities and then find jobs in those communities. Students will perform their clinical rotations in Bridgeport at Optimus Health Care Inc., Southwest Community Health Center and St. Vincent’s Medical Center. DeNisco, who works at Southwest Community Health Center, said students who received financial aid through the 2014 grant and went through the rotations in Bridgeport are currently working full time in those facilities, proving the program’s success.
“This HRSA grant highlights the importance of educating nurse practitioners as primary-care providers to strengthen the health care workforce,” said Julie Stewart, director of the FNP program. “Many of our FNP students are trying to balance work, school and care for their families, and they are thrilled to have this opportunity to receive funds to defray costs for advanced education.”
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