Nurse Education, Practice, Quality and Retention - Transition to Practice Program - Project Summary Sacred Heart University, through its College of Nursing, proposes SHU-INSPiRE: Sacred Heart University Innovative Nursing Success Program in Recruitment and Education, a four-year project running from September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2030. SHU-INSPiRE will improve public health and expand access to primary care by preparing practice-ready RNs for rural, medically vulnerable, and underserved communities, strengthening pathways into registered nursing and improving transition to practice readiness for students in the Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) and Second Degree Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (SDA BSN) programs. Both are direct routes to RN licensure for local students, adult learners, and incumbent health care workers who do not enter nursing through a traditional four-year BSN pathway. The need is well documented. Connecticut had 89,819 licensed RNs in 2022, but only 45,014 were employed in a nursing capacity statewide, and the median age of employed RNs is 47. State projections identify 2,271 annual RN openings through 2032, while RN graduate production fell 3 percent in 2024. Area hospitals report RN vacancy rates of 8.9 to 14.4 percent and turnover of 14 to 16.2 percent. Connecticut carries 52 primary care and 49 mental health shortage area designations, and its community health centers serve more than 445,000 patients, most at or below the federal poverty level. Cost is also a barrier, with a total program cost of $55,009.55 for SDA BSN and $29,003.82 for ASN. The project will support an annual cohort of 26 admitted students, targeting 14 ASN and 12 SDA BSN students per year. Implementation rests on six integrated components. Pathway development will recruit local high school and community participants along with incumbent health workers, including LPNs, CNAs, EMTs, medical assistants, and home health aides. Direct student support and retention will combine diagnostic testing, individual academic success plans, summer bridge programming, faculty and RN mentoring, belonging assessment, and participant and trainee support of up to $15,000 per eligible student per program for selected students with documented need. Competency based curriculum work will map coursework, simulation, and partner activities to measurable transition to practice competencies. Expanded experiential learning will give each participant at least 100 new clinical or experiential hours above existing program requirements, with no more than 50 percent completed through simulation. Simulation infrastructure will include a sustainable standardized patient program, wearable and virtual reality simulation, limited resource rural and medically vulnerable scenarios, and debriefing aligned with national standards. Faculty and preceptor development will operate through a development academy for faculty, clinical instructors, preceptors, and RN mentors. Clinical and workforce partners include Bridgeport Hospital, St. Vincent's Medical Center, Norwalk Hospital, Community Health Center, Inc., and Masonicare, providing acute care, federally qualified health center primary care and behavioral health, senior care, and home and community-based training. Pipeline partners include Notre Dame Prep High School of Sacred Heart University, Bullard-Havens Technical High School, Bassick High School, and Hall Neighborhood House. Over the four year grant period, the project expects to support selected ASN and SDA BSN students across four annual cohorts; achieve program completion at or above 70 percent; achieve an NCLEX-RN first time pass rate at or above 80 percent; place at least 80 percent of graduates in RN employment within 12 months; document 100 additional experiential hours per Sacred Heart University | 1participant; train faculty, preceptors, and RN mentors; and establish one year graduate tracking of employment in rural, medically vulnerable, and community-based settings.
