Nursing Workforce Development (NWD) - The University of Missouri-St. Louis, College of Nursing is working to strengthen the regional pipeline of BSN-prepared nurses by increasing enrollment and graduation for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, particularly in medically underserved and rural communities where workforce shortages continue to affect health outcomes. Nationally, students from disadvantaged backgrounds experience higher attrition and lower graduation rates than their peers. While all current and future UMSL undergraduate nursing students will benefit from the structural resources built through the CON CARES program, the primary focus will be supporting students from disadvantaged backgrounds to improve enrollment, retention, and graduation rates. Along with student challenges, regional faculty and preceptor shortages persist, disrupting UMSL's ability to fulfill regional nursing workforce needs. Part of strengthening the talent pipeline requires securing high-quality educators to support students throughout their educational journey; the CON CARES program will implement strategic mechanisms to help close these critical capacity gaps. The project’s foundational goal is to increase the number of individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds who enroll in and graduate from nursing degree programs through evidence-based strategies, including pipeline development and comprehensive student support services. This project is organized around three core objectives: 1) increase the number of nursing students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are enrolled in and graduate from nursing degree programs; 2) establish or enhance academic, social, and financial support to increase educational success for nursing students from disadvantaged backgrounds; 3) recruit and retain faculty and preceptors to provide student mentorship and enhance learning environments. To achieve these objectives, the project team will implement a multi-dimensional framework guided by Jeffreys’ Nursing Universal Retention and Success (NURS) Model. This model recognizes that undergraduate nursing student success is shaped by student characteristics, psychosocial factors, environmental influences, and institutional support services. Funding would allow the College of Nursing to strengthen support across the full educational pathway, from recruitment and admission through graduation, licensure readiness, and entry into the workforce. Activities supported by the grant include: • Targeted recruitment and engagement with schools and communities in MUAs, and peer-led outreach by Student Ambassadors. • Structured transition-to-practice activities that prepare students for licensure, employment, and entry into professional nursing. • Implementation of a proactive, data-informed early-alert process utilizing Enflux and MyConnect to identify academic and non-academic barriers before they affect student progression. • Expansion of an academic coaching model to provide individualized, non-stigmatized academic support for students across the nursing education pathway by integrating academic coaching, tutoring, mentoring, exam-readiness resources, and Academic Lab supports available through referral and self-referral. • Expanded experiential learning to strengthen students’ clinical readiness, confidence, cultural responsiveness, and preparation to serve medically vulnerable communities. • Direct financial aid resources that will deploy targeted retention stipends, emergency academic funds, and testing fee vouchers. • The creation of paid Student Tutor and Student Ambassador programs. • A centralized resource hub containing onboarding materials, continuing education and competency requirements, teaching resources, and important College updates for faculty. The evaluation of the CON CARES Project is designed to rigorously examine implementation processes, milestone progression, and long-term outcomes. Our approach aligns directly with the HHS Evaluation Policy and federal standards.
