SONHS Awarded Department of Education "Linking Industry to Nursing Education" Grant

The University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies (SONHS) has been awarded a $75,000 grant under the Florida Department of Education’s Linking Industry to Nursing Education (LINE) Fund to increase the number of nursing professionals prepared to enter Florida’s nursing workforce.

SONHS will partner with Jackson Health System (JHS) to create the new Care Partners Dedicated Educational Unit (DEU) program at JHS. The award will expand the long-standing Care Partners Program, a clinical partnership between SONHS and JHS that provides clinical rotations to full-time Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) students.

The new initiative will allow SONHS to increase enrollment capacity of its one-year, three-semester ABSN program by 16 full-time students. These 16 students will receive partial scholarships to help them complete their studies. Known as “Care Partners,” the nursing students will complete intensive, one-year clinical placements on the new DEU. They will gain hands-on, real-world experience guided by experienced JHS nurse preceptors who will ensure their acclimation to the nursing profession.

“This award will enable the school of nursing to increase its enrollment capacity and to expand the number of clinical training sites available to our students,” said SONHS associate dean for undergraduate nursing programs and associate professor Nichole Crenshaw, DNP, APRN, AGACNP-BC, ANP-BC, CHSE, FAANP, who will serve as the initiative’s program director. “Focusing this opportunity on our accelerated BSN students will allow us to prepare new nurses to enter the workforce within a year. And once they graduate, they’ll receive preferential consideration for nursing positions at Jackson Health System.”

The grant also will create a new SONHS faculty appointment for a current JHS nursing professional to serve as the DEU’s Clinical Faculty Coordinator (CFC) and act as a bridge between the two partners. The CFC will lead the unit’s activities as well as mentor its participating students and nurse preceptors.

Florida’s LINE Fund program provides a platform for nursing programs to implement innovative educational collaborations with health care partners to help alleviate Florida’s critical nursing shortage. SONHS is one of seven Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida (ICUF) that were selected to receive LINE Fund awards.

“By bringing more nurses into the profession, the Care Partners Dedicated Educational Unit partnership will help to address our state’s nursing shortage—especially in our local South Florida communities,” said SONHS Dean and Professor Cindy L. Munro, PhD, RN, ANP-BC, FAAN, FAANP, FAAAS. “This goal aligns perfectly with the purpose of the Florida LINE Fund.”

Both SONHS and JHS will contribute additional funds to support the initiative, with JHS providing $75,000 in matching funds.

For more information about the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies, visit http://www.miami.edu/sonhs. To learn more about Jackson Health System, visit https://jacksonhealth.org.