Organization: Avera Health Address: 3900 W Avera Drive, Sioux Falls, SD 57117 Website: www.avera.org Project Director: Karna Pfeffer, RN, MSN, Director of Clinical Excellence and Education Phone: (605)224-3121 E-Mail: Karna.Pfeffer@avera.org PREPARE-RNs: Partnering to Address the Critical Nursing Shortage in South Dakota will prepare BSNs and RNs for careers in rural acute-care Critical Access Hospital settings by providing education in cultural awareness, Social Determinants of Health, health equity, and health literacy. Following the national trend, South Dakota’s most acute health workforce need is certainly its nursing staff ratios in rural areas. Responding to this crisis requires time, innovation, and collaboration across several sectors. The Registered Nurse Training Program grant offers Avera and partner South Dakota State University a collaborative opportunity to train, recruit, and retain nursing staff in new and innovative ways by removing barriers and perceptions about practicing in a rural acute-care setting. In response to the historic nursing shortage, PREPARE-RNs provides innovative and enhanced training, recruitment, and retention (one that can be replicated by other health systems) by preparing BSN and RNs for the distinct challenges of practicing in a Critical Access Hospital. PREPARE-RNs will provide a unique look into rural practice by providing program evaluation from a health system and an educational organization. Additionally, the next generation of RNs will be prepared by providing experiential training in Critical Access Hospitals and in the newly emerging practice of Virtual Nursing. Avera is requesting $1,050,000 over a three-year performance period. Program goals include 1) Enhance BSN curriculum to increase knowledge and practice of cultural awareness, Social Determinants of Health, health equity, and health literacy; 2) Formalize a rural CAH Training Track with financial support for 8 enrolled BSN studen
ts per semester; 3) Implement an ECHO Professional Development Model for BSN students, RN Staff, Preceptors, and Faculty to increase knowledge and practice of cultural awareness, Social Determinants of Health, health equity, and health literacy; 4) Recruit and reattain an increased number of BSN and RNs for careers in acute-care CAH settings; 5) Establish a baseline and track, evaluate, and demonstrate improved outcomes for RN training in the program area through an academic-practice partnership to increase career. The program will substantially benefit rural, underserved South Dakota counties: Aurora, Beadle, Bon Homme, Brookings, Brown, Brule, Buffalo, Campbell, Charles Mix, Clark, Clay, Corson, Davison, Day, Deuel, Dewey, Douglas, Edmunds, Faulk, Grant, Hand, Hanson, Hughes, Hutchinson, Hyde, Jerauld, Jones, Kingsbury, Kinsbury, Lake, Lyman, Marshall, McCook, McPherson, Mellette, Miner, Moody, Potter, Roberts, Sandborn, Spink, Stanley, Sully, Todd, Trip, Turner, Walworth, Yankton. Within the proposed program period, all educational and experiential training sites are located in rural, underserved communities. Avera Health, the lead applicant, is the parent organization for a vertically integrated health system. Partner organization, South Dakota State University, is the largest College of Nursing in South Dakota with over 1000 enrolled BSN students. The experiential training sites include rural: Avera Dells Area Health Center, Avera De Smet Memorial Hospital, Avera Flandreau Hospital, Avera Gregory Health Center, Landmann Jungman Memorial Hospital Avera, Milbank Area Hospital Avera, Avera Queen of Peace Hospital, Avera St. Benedicts Health Center, and Avera Weskota Memorial Medical Center. Avera Health is requesting a Funding Priority based on Priority 1: States with the Greatest Nursing Shortages (South Dakota) as Attachment 10 and Funding Preference based on Qualification 1 and 2 as Attachment 9. Milbank, SD is rural. Yankton County is a MUC/MUP.