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March 24, 2010
by Becky Martin
Press Releases
When our nursing students gather for orientation on March 24, they will also be introduced to an exciting new program that will change the way the art and skill of nursing is taught.
Through a unique national initiative titled Partners Investing in Nursing’s Future or PIN, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Northwest Health Foundation have awarded a two-year grant to the Hinds Community College Development Foundation. The foundation will partner with the Mississippi Office of Nursing Workforce (MONW) to implement the Mississippi Geriatric Dedicated Education Unit Initiative (MGDEU).
We at Central Mississippi Medical Center have been selected to be a part of this innovative partnership, along with Hinds Community College School of Nursing, University of MS School of Nursing, University of MS Hospitals and Clinics, St. Dominic Memorial Hospital, MS Baptist Medical Center, North MS Medical Center, Itawamba Community College, and the MS Health Care Foundation (Long Term Care Association).
The program trains staff nurses as clinical facilitators, enabling them to step out of their traditional roles and expand their job to include that of instructor. In an innovative model of teaching, nursing students will experience first-hand the skill and reality of nursing to this unique community of geriatric patients.
MGDEU allows the student to be in the trenches early in her/his school career, which helps the student stay motivated through the classroom side of the learning experience. At the same time, the staff nurse expands her/his professional career and is fulfilled by training a future fellow nurse. Similar programs have shown high success rates in other regions of the U.S. It is a win-win situation for both students and nurses.
“This grant will help us expand our efforts to provide the students with the expertise of both staff nurses and faculty in a learning environment with a focus on geriatric care,” said Debbie Logan, RN, MHA, Project Director with MONW. “This is a great collaborative effort that will directly impact the quality of healthcare in Mississippi.”
Hospitals and Nursing Schools will be working together to build a larger, more capable nursing workforce in Mississippi. The result will be higher numbers of nurses, better-educated students entering the workforce, and better nursing recruitment for health care facilities.
“Mississippi continues to experience a nursing shortage that our state has been addressing through enhanced nursing faculty salaries, expansion of nursing school enrollments, and numerous other activities,” said Dr. Clyde Muse, President of Hinds Community College. “In our current economic climate, we are pleased to be a part of a national program that can positively impact the nursing shortage in our state.”
“Nurses are the nation’s most direct link to patient safety and quality of care. We are committed to helping find the most innovative solutions to the nursing shortage so we can protect patients now and over the long term,” said Susan B. Hassmiller, R.N., Ph.D., F.A.A.N., senior adviser for nursing at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “This unique partnership of the philanthropic community helps identify new approaches that go well beyond what any one foundation could do alone.”
The Mississippi Office of Nursing Workforce is dedicated to furthering research and analysis of solutions to nursing workforce issues for purposes of public information. See www.monw.org.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. See www.rwjf.org.
The Northwest Health Foundation is an independent, charitable foundation committed to advancing, supporting, and promoting the health of the people of Oregon and southwest Washington. Embracing its role as the community’s partner for better health, the Foundation achieves its mission primarily through grantmaking and support for advocacy efforts that influence public policy. See www.nwhf.org.
Partners Investing in Nursing’s Future is a partnership of the Northwest Health Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation supporting local foundations to invest in nursing workforce solutions. Partners Investing in Nursing's Future is helping local and regional philanthropies develop solutions to the nursing workforce shortage. See www.partnersinnursing.org.
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