Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students - The Quinnipiac University School of Nursing (QUSON) proposes the Lifting Education and Advancement for Rising Nurses (LEARN) Program, a five-year initiative designed to strengthen the nursing workforce by increasing the enrollment, retention, and graduation of disadvantaged students in QUSON's accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program, and by increasing the number of graduates who go on to practice in primary care and in rural and/or medically underserved populations. The nursing workforce continues to face persistent shortages, compounded by high attrition among newly licensed nurses and a chronic underrepresentation of students from disadvantaged backgrounds in nursing education. These gaps limit patient-provider concordance, constrain access to care, and leave graduates underprepared to serve communities with the greatest health needs. Nursing curricula have also historically emphasized acute-care clinical placements, leaving graduates with limited exposure to primary care, community health, and other nontraditional practice settings essential to addressing healthcare disparities. Grounded in the American Association of Colleges of Nursing's Ecosystem of Excellence model, the LEARN Program integrates institutional, operational, and human core strategies across recruitment, retention, academic support, social support, financial support, and career development. Ten cohorts of LEARN Scholars will be admitted over the grant period, drawn from students who meet criteria for economic or educational disadvantage. Scholars will receive dedicated financial assistance, a comprehensive academic success program, peer mentoring and professional-identity-building activities, and individualized career development support. A central component of the program is the deliberate expansion of clinical partnerships in primary care and community-based settings, including sites serving rural communities and other medically underserved populations across Connecticut. Through partnerships with major healthcare systems, LEARN Scholars will gain extensive hands-on clinical experience designed to build the confidence, population health perspective, and practical skills needed to sustain careers in these high-need practice environments. Career development activities, including targeted career fairs and employer engagement, will further connect graduates to employment opportunities in primary care and in rural and/or medically underserved communities. The program's three objectives are to: (1) increase enrollment and retention of full-time students from disadvantaged backgrounds; (2) increase the number of graduates practicing in primary care; and (3) increase the number of graduates working in rural, Tribal, and other medically vulnerable communities. Progress will be tracked through a comprehensive evaluation plan employing Rapid Cycle Quality Improvement and both formative and summative assessment of recruitment, retention, licensure success, and post-graduation employment outcomes. By addressing the academic, social, and financial barriers that disproportionately affect disadvantaged students, the LEARN Program aims to build a sustainable pipeline of nursing graduates prepared to meet the needs of underserved communities and to serve as a replicable model for other nursing programs seeking to diversify and strengthen the primary care and community health workforce.
