Supporting Health Equity Through APRN Workforce Development: Strategies for Nursing Graduate Programs to Increase...

Area of Science:

• Health Equity
• Nursing Education
• Rural Health

Background:

• Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) are crucial for bridging healthcare access gaps.
• APRN employment is concentrated in urban areas, creating disparities in rural and underserved regions.
• Higher education institutions can address imbalances in APRN distribution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline strategies and outcomes of a federally funded project aimed at improving APRN distribution in Oklahoma.
• To demonstrate how graduate nursing programs can support health equity.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the social determinants of health model.
• Recruited diverse students (n=55) with financial aid and extracurricular support.
• Facilitated mentorship, preceptorship, and dissemination activities.

Main Results:

• Scholarship students received extracurricular training for clinical rotations.
• 10% of students presented at professional conferences.
• Approximately 75% of graduates reported working in rural or underserved communities.

Conclusions:

• Graduate nursing programs can enhance health equity and access in underserved areas.
• Mentorship, preceptorship, and extracurricular education are key strategies.
• Program directors can implement these approaches without external funding to improve APRN placement in needed regions.