A major grant has been awarded to The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga to increase nursing education opportunities for economically disadvantaged individuals, particularly among racial and ethnic minorities that are underrepresented in the registered nursing workforce.
Diversity Recruitment and Education to Advance Minorities in the Nursing Workforce (DREAMWork) will also improve the success of minority applicants in gaining admission to the UTC School of Nursing and increase their success in completion of the baccalaureate degree in nursing (BSN).
“This recruitment and retention program will encourage young students in middle school and high school to consider nursing as a career option,” said Martina S. Harris, Ed.D, RN and DREAMWork project director.
This program is made possible by a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The grant award will total $912,000 over a three-year project period.
DREAMWork will serve 2,000 middle and high school students; 50 transition to college students; 70 pre-nursing students; and 37 students enrolled in the UTC School of Nursing. During the three-year project, an estimated 22 participants will:
• complete the BSN degree
• successfully pass the NCLEX-RN exam
• and transition into professional nursing practice.
“I think the most important aspect of this program is that it will give students from disadvantaged backgrounds a chance to succeed in the area of nursing,” said Kay Lindgren, PhD., director of the UTC School of Nursing.
