Nursing Workforce Development (NWD) - Project description: Saint Peter’s University (SPU) proposes to establish “Taking Flight: SPU Peacocks Expand the Nursing Workforce,” a HRSA Nursing Workforce Development project to increase the number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds who enroll in, persist in, and graduate from SPU’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program. The project will expand access to high-quality nursing education, strengthen student success support, and help address the critical shortage of registered nurses in New Jersey and the surrounding region. Needs the project will address: SPU’s BSN program serves a student population with substantial financial and educational need: over the past three years, an average of 71% of BSN students have been from disadvantaged backgrounds, including Pell-eligible and first-generation college students. Many students also face unmet costs for attendance, clinical clearance requirements, transportation challenges, employment obligations, academic preparation gaps, and limited early connection to the nursing program, all of which contribute to lower retention and graduation rates. Proposed services: The Taking Flight project will address these needs through a comprehensive, student-centered system of recruitment, financial assistance, academic support, mentoring, clinical preparation, and faculty support. Proposed services include scholarships of up to $7,000 annually for eligible BSN students; clinical practice stipends to help defray costs for clinical clearances, supplies, transportation, and other education-related expenses; targeted outreach to high school students through summer “Peacock Introduction to Nursing” workshops, “Nursing Student for a Day” shadowing experiences, social media outreach, and an accelerated ACE/ ACED pathway into the BSN program; a dedicated Nursing Academic Advisor to provide close advising and early intervention; a Nursing Student Success Mentorship Program pairing students with faculty and peer mentors; peer tutoring in Anatomy and Physiology, Pharmacology, and Pathophysiology; and enrichment workshops focused on academic success, financial literacy, career exploration, and mental health and wellness. The project will strengthen the BSN program’s capacity by supporting professional development, mentoring, and retention strategies for full-time and adjunct nursing faculty. Populations served: Over four years, the Taking Flight project will serve more than 200 prospective and enrolled BSN students from disadvantaged backgrounds, particularly low-income/Pell-eligible students and first-generation college students, reaching students from New Jersey and New York communities. It will also reach high school students from schools with high populations of disadvantaged students, current BSN students who need academic and logistical support, and nursing faculty and preceptors who support student learning. By increasing enrollment, improving first-year retention and four-year graduation rates, and preparing more BSN graduates to serve medically vulnerable communities, the Taking Flight project will expand the nursing workforce and strengthen access to care in communities facing persistent health and workforce challenges.
