Dr. Kelly Powers Awarded $2.7M Federal HRSA Grant to Advance Nursing Education

Dr. Kelly Powers, PhD, RN, CNE, FNAP has been awarded a major federal grant expected to total nearly $2.8 million over four years from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Nurse Education, Practice, Quality and Retention – Transition to Practice Program.

Through the grant, Dr. Powers and her team will launch the Community Nurse Ready Initiative aimed at addressing regional nursing workforce shortages by equipping Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students with the competencies needed to effectively transition into healthcare settings that care for rural and medically vulnerable populations.

The initiative is centered on four goals: creating the Community Nurse Scholars Program to prepare students for nursing careers in community health settings, enhancing simulation and interprofessional education, expanding clinical and community partnerships, and providing nurse preceptors and faculty with enhanced education on strategies to ease the transition from classroom education to real-world clinical practice.

The Community Nurse Ready Initiative addresses critical national priorities in healthcare delivery: improving nurse retention and workforce shortages, elevating clinical care quality, and improving healthcare access and outcomes among rural and medically vulnerable populations. The initiative equips new nurses to meet the evolving demands of patient care and remain resilient in high-need health settings.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Powers and her team on this outstanding achievement and impactful investment in the future of nursing education.