Researchers from Florida Atlantic University’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing have received a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Humans Services, to form a primary care workforce of practicing registered nurses who understand the unique needs of military veterans, and are practice ready and willing to serve rural and underserved communities.

 

The project, “Caring-based Academic Partnerships in Excellence: Veteran RNs in Primary Care (CAPE-V),” is designed to educate and provide clinical training for bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) students in primary care and to provide professional development to practicing registered nurses (RNs) in primary care. The program will enrich the BSN curriculum and student clinical experiences in the areas of primary care, unique population health needs of veterans, mental health and substance use disorders, value added care, telehealth, and health information technology.

 

The goals of CAPE-V are to recruit, educate, and financially support a culturally diverse group of veteran students for FAU’s College of Nursing BSN program (RN-BSN, accelerated, and second degree part-time BSN tracks), who are primary care oriented and willing and ready to work with underserved and rural populations. The project team will establish partnerships with three veteran organizations and one new innovative academic clinical partner.

 

The project team will continue linkages with four of its existing academic practice partners serving rural and underserved populations for longitudinal clinical training experiences of veteran undergraduate nursing students in primary care settings. Collaborators include the West Palm Beach Veteran Affairs Medical Center primary care clinics, Health Care District of Palm Beach County’s C. L. Brumback Primary Care Clinics, Community Health of South Florida, Inc., Holy Cross Hospital, and FAU’s Community Health Center, operated by the college.