Nurse education, practice, quality and retention - workforce expansion program - the connecting nursing education to rural communities in texas project (project connect) is designed to create a stream…

The Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration Bureau of Health Professionals awarded Texas A&M University System Health Science Center $1.939 million on September 30, 2025, under the Nurse Education, Practice Quality and Retention Grants program (CFDA 93.359) to expand the baccalaureate nursing workforce in rural Texas.

The Project CONNECT award funds development of a rural nursing pipeline designed to increase enrollment, retention, and graduation of BSN-prepared students from rural origin communities and secure their employment in rural acute and long-term care settings. The recipient will implement targeted marketing to rural applicants, deliver financial and academic support services tailored to rural students, and integrate rural nursing competencies across the baccalaureate program. A new rural nursing certificate program requires a minimum of 146 clinical hours in designated rural long-term care facilities and critical access hospitals, paired with community-engaged interprofessional team activities. The recipient will recruit nurses from participating rural hospitals to serve as preceptors and clinical faculty supporting nursing education in rural settings, and will encourage critical access hospitals to create student externships building both clinical competence and community commitment.

The award period runs through September 29, 2029. Performance takes place in Texas.

Nurse education, practice, quality and retention - workforce expansion program - the connecting nursing education to rural communities in texas project (project connect) is designed to create a stream of BSN prepared graduates committed to a nursing practice in rural settings. Planned strategies in project connect provide a holistic to advancing enrollment of rural origin students and building commitment to rural nursing through engagement with rural communities throughout the program of study. The overarching goals of this project include: 1. Increase the number of enrolled, retained and graduated nursing students from the tamu college of nursing baccalaureate nursing degree programs.?critical elements of this goal include marketing targeted to applicants from rural communities, and financial support and academic support services tailored to rural origin students. 2. Increase the number of undergraduate nursing students receiving specialized training in acute and long-term care settings.?strategies to meet this goal center on integrating rural competencies for all students in the BSN program and developing a rural nursing certificate program. 3. Increase the number of undergraduate nurses employed in acute and long-term care settings post-graduation.?engagement with the rural community is the keystone of this goal. Certificate program students will have a minimum of 146 clinical hours in a designated rural long term care facility and critical access hospital (CAH). They will also manage a community engaged, interprofessional community action team building connections with the people of the rural setting. CAH will also be encouraged to create student externships to both build clinical competence and commitment to the community. 4. Increase the number of nurses prepared to serve as preceptors and clinical faculty supporting clinical education of nursing students in rural settings. Nurses from participating hospitals will be recruited for the rural nurse faculty role. Related role development strategies will be provided including formal instruction, mentoring, and support for certification examination. In collaboration with the author of mastering precepting a web-based independent study course based will be created for distribution nationally. Project connect's holistic approach includes targeted recruitment, a rural-focused curriculum, clinical immersion experiences, community engagement, and strategic support for rural-origin students, all aimed at developing a dedicated workforce of nursing graduates committed to rural nursing. As a land-grant institution, texas a & M university qualifies for funding priority 2: public entity. We also request funding preference qualification 1: substantially benefits rural populations.