News Archive, 1999 - 2020
University of Maryland School of Nursing Faculty Members Awarded Over $2.4 Million in State Education Grants
August 20, 2019
Four faculty members receive funding to increase nursing capacity in Maryland.
Baltimore, Md. – Four University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) faculty members have been awarded Nurse Support Program (NSP) II grants totaling more than $2.4 million. NSP II grants aid in increasing nursing capacity in Maryland by implementing statewide initiatives to grow the number of nurses prepared to serve effectively in faculty roles, thereby increasing the number of students who can be enrolled in Maryland nursing schools and subsequently increasing the number of qualified nurses across the state.
Grants are funded through the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission and administered by the Maryland Higher Education Commission.
“We are thrilled that UMSON has received NSP II grant support for four significant projects, each of which will help address Maryland’s need for a well-educated and well-prepared nursing workforce,” said UMSON Dean Jane M. Kirschling, PhD, RN, FAAN. “This diverse array of projects will: ensure the highest level of proficiency among academic clinical nurse educators throughout Maryland; develop a streamlined path for previously certified adult nurse practitioners and gerontology nurse practitioners to be recertified under the successor specialty designation; enhance nurse education in substance use disorders and create a certificate program in addictions nursing; and support the ongoing work of the Maryland Nursing Workforce Center to ensure appropriate data for decision-making.
“We are grateful to the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission for its generous support of nursing research and to the Maryland Higher Education Commission for its leadership of NSP II initiatives. Together, we are ensuring that Maryland’s residents have access to excellent health care now and in the future,” Kirschling continued.
The NSP II grants awarded to UMSON faculty beginning in Fiscal Year 2020 include:
Susan L. Bindon, DNP, RN-BC, CNE, CNEcl, associate professor and director, Doctor of Nursing Practice Post-Master’s option – Building Clinical Nursing Faculty Competency in Maryland ($264,677 over two years): Bindon will work to increase the number of well-prepared clinical nursing instructors by supporting new faculty teaching in Maryland’s pre-licensure programs. Funding extends UMSON’s current success in preparing clinical educators and will provide six faculty workshops and national certification exam support. Expected outcomes include the preparation of up to 240 clinical instructors with certification exam support for participants interested and eligible to sit for the National League for Nursing certification exam for clinical faculty. Participants will potentially teach 1,920 students per semester and will enhance the learning experience in the high-stakes clinical environment for nursing students.
Margaret Hammersla, PhD, CRNP-A, assistant professor and senior director, Doctor of Nursing Practice program – Streamlined Path to AGPCNP Certification ($121,972 over three years): More than 10 years ago, the APRN Consensus Model combined the adult nurse practitioner (ANP) and gerontological nurse practitioner (GNP) designations to create the adult-gerontological primary care nurse practitioner (AGPCNP) designation, but an unintended outcome was that all nationally certified ANPs and GNPs hold a certificate that is no longer being offered. The ANP and GNP exams were retired, meaning that nurse practitioners who allow their certification to lapse have no opportunity to become recertified. This funding aims to increase the number AGPCNPs by creating a streamlined path for ANPs and GNPs to convert to the AGPCNP specialty; UMSON will offer an option for master’s-prepared ANPs and GNPs to complete a Doctor of Nursing Practice; ANPs and GNPs with a doctoral degree will be able to earn a post-doctoral certificate to gain the necessary additional knowledge required for AGPNCP certification.
Victoria L. Selby, PhD, CRNP-PMH, PMHNP-BC, assistant professor – Substance Use and Addictions Nursing Education Initiatives ($137,408 over one year): Substance use disorders are now the leading cause of death in the United States, doubling the numbers of related deaths a decade ago, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. This funding will support planning for the expansion of nurse education in substance use and addiction by creating a focus area for undergraduate nursing students, particularly registered nurses returning to complete the Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and by developing a post-baccalaureate certificate in addictions nursing.
Rebecca Wiseman, PhD ’93, RN, associate professor and chair of UMSON at the Universities at Shady Grove – Maryland Nursing Workforce Center ($1,912,767 over five years): Funding will support the work of the Maryland Nursing Workforce Center (MNWC) at the University of Maryland, Baltimore as it continues to provide access to and assist with analysis of nursing workforce data. The MNWC was established in 2018 with NSP II funding to ensure the state is meeting the recommendation of the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) 2010 Future of Nursing report calling for improved workforce data collection. This data will be used to plan for future workforce needs and to measure the success of programs and initiatives.
Clockwise from top left: Bindon, Hammersla, Wiseman, and Selby
# # #
The University of Maryland School of Nursing, founded in 1889, is one of the oldest and largest nursing schools in the nation and is ranked among the top nursing schools nationwide. Enrolling nearly 2,000 students in its baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs, the School develops leaders who shape the profession of nursing and impact the health care environment.