Nurse education, practice, quality and retention - workforce expansion program - the united states anticipates only a 6% growth in the registered nursing workforce over the next decade. (american…

The Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration Bureau of Health Professionals awarded the University of West Georgia $1.9 million under the Nurse Education, Practice Quality and Retention Grants program (CFDA 93.359) on September 30, 2025.

The University of West Georgia will support 70 nursing trainees from the university and West Georgia Technical College to increase the nursing workforce in rural and underserved Carroll and Haralson Counties, Georgia, with focus on long-term care settings. Financial barriers will be removed through scholarships, monthly stipends, and technology devices (laptop or iPad) for online coursework access. An articulation agreement between the University of West Georgia and West Georgia Technical College will allow seamless transition from Associate degree to Baccalaureate degree completion. Trainees will receive retention and graduation support through graduate student or peer mentors, writing associates, and student success coordinators. Students will gain over 80 additional hours of clinical experiences and online content in long-term care or acute-care settings.

The project period runs from September 30, 2025, through September 29, 2029. Place of performance is Georgia.

Nurse education, practice, quality and retention - workforce expansion program - the united states anticipates only a 6% growth in the registered nursing workforce over the next decade. (american association of colleges of nursing, ([aacn], 2022; bureau of labor statistics [BLS], 2023). Further, faculty shortages, student financial barriers, lack of ease of articulation, and availability of clinical experiences hinder the production of future nurses, particularly in rural areas (world health organization, 2020). The state of georgia, at 29%, has the highest nurse shortage rate in the united states (hrsa, 2024), resulting in a request for funding priority consideration. This proposal will support 70 trainees from a public university and a public technical college to increase the nursing workforce in the rural and underserved areas of carroll and haralson counties in georgia, particularly in long-term care (LTC) settings. Removal of financial barriers for trainees will occur by providing scholarships, a monthly stipend, and technology (laptop or ipad) to access their online coursework and support learning. Removal of articulation barriers will occur through an articulation agreement between the university of west georgia and west georgia technical college, allowing a seamless transition from an associate degree to a baccalaureate degree completion program. Retention and graduation support will occur by providing trainees with a graduate student or peer mentor and access to a writing associate and student success coordinator. Finally, students will gain increased knowledge and experience caring for patients in an LTC or acute-care setting through over 80 additional hours of clinical experiences and online content. These activities will increase the nursing workforce in rural areas, addressing the critical shortage of nurses.