1. Building a Baccalaureate Workforce Using an Academic/Rural Health System Partnership
Judy Neubrander, EdD, RN, FNP-BC – Western Carolina University
Vallire D. Hooper, PhD, RN, CPAN, FAAN – Mission Health System
Karen R. Cochran, MSN, RN, CNOR – Western Carolina University

2. Disclosure Statement Authors: Vallire Hooper, Judy Neubrander, Karen Cochran Declare no conflict of interest, No Commercial support was provided
This program is supported through funding of the Health & Human Services Division for federal Nursing Workforce Diversity Grant #D19HP26977
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
The learner will be able to describe 2 constraints to building a Baccalaureate workforce in the rural healthcare setting.
The learner will be able to identify 2 strategies for increasing the Baccalaureate workforce in the rural healthcare setting using an academic/rural health system partnership.

3. IOM on the Future of Nursing
Increase the number of Baccalaureate prepared nursed to 80% by The IOM Report on the Future of Nursing (IOM, 2010) supports that higher levels of education are needed to provide nurses with the requisite knowledge and competencies necessary to navigate complex healthcare environments such as the rural healthcare setting.

4. Nursing in Western North Carolina
Only an estimated 30 percent of nurses working in the rural facilities of WNC are Baccalaureate or higher prepared.
30% BSN – 70% ADN

5. Academic / Rural Health System Partnership
The Western Carolina University School of Nursing (WCU) and the Mission Health System (MHS) have partnered to offer a collaborative program to promote academic success. WCU is located in Western North Carolina (WNC) in the town of Cullowhee. Founded in 1889 to bring higher education and career opportunities to the western region of North Carolina, WCU is a member of the University of North Carolina system and has more than 9,000 students enrolled in academic programs spanning more than 120 specialties. MHS, based in Asheville, NC, is the state’s sixth largest health system and the tertiary care regional referral center for Western North Carolina and the adjoining region. Mission is a not-for-profit, independent community hospital system accredited by The Joint Commission.

6. RN BRES program
RN-BRES will increase nursing education opportunities for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds (focusing on economically and socially underserved, and including racial, ethnic, tribal minorities under-represented among registered nurses) by providing student stipends, scholarships, and opportunities for mentorship. The program will also work to increase the public’s access to quality health care by supporting strategies that increase diversity in the nursing workforce. RN-BRES will ensure that, in the participating communities, the right clinicians, with the right skills, are working where they are most needed.
Goals
Increase the number of students from underrepresented ethnic minorities (UREM) and economically and educationally disadvantaged backgrounds (EEDB) enrolling in and graduating from the RN to BSN program
Facilitate the development of an advanced rural generalist competent in the assessment and management of population health across diverse specialties and healthcare delivery environments in the rural environment
Increase faculty and healthcare provider’s skill set in care coordination and facilitation in the management of a wide variety of population health issues across the continuum of care.
The purpose of the RN to BSN Rural Education and Support (RN-BRES) program is to increase recruitment, retention and graduation opportunities for disadvantaged populations in schools of nursing. RN-BRES increases nursing education opportunities for individuals considered economically and socially underserved, and including racial, ethnic, tribal minorities under-represented among registered nurses by providing student stipends, scholarships, and opportunities for mentorship. This grant-funded program is a collaborative partnership between a local university and a large rural health system.

7. Challenges & Strategies of advancing to a BSN
Challenges to grant implementation
Lack of desire
Pre-requisite requirements
Strategies to improve recruitment
Modified who eligibility criteria
On site recruitment
Stressing BSN expectation to new hires and for career advancement

8. Where are we going from here?

9. Questions