Building the path forward for nurse education

There has never been a better time to be a Cardinal Nurse. With over 50 years of education excellence, the School of Nursing is leading the way with a solid foundation of experience and institutional knowledge. This expertise is paving the way for continued growth of the nursing profession through multiple initiatives, such as the active planning of the new Health Sciences Building and dramatically expanding the reach of nurse education to rural Kentucky.

As a testament to the University’s commitment to addressing healthcare workforce needs, a new, state-of-the-art, $280 million Health Sciences building is underway. The project is highly collaborative, bringing together all four Health Science Campus schools 
(Nursing, Dentistry, Medicine, and Public Health).

The School of Nursing is actively advocating for the unique, modern needs of educating future health care providers to meet the challenges of the rapidly changing health care landscape. Once out of the classroom, nurses find themselves working in close collaboration with other professions. One of the objectives of the new HSC building is to address this reality. With a focus on integrating the latest in simulation technology and providing a central hub for HSC, students from all four schools will have a pathway to connect.

The School of Nursing is actively closing Kentucky’s healthcare gap, extending its reach far beyond Louisville and Owensboro into the rural communities that need nurses most. At least a portion of 107 of Kentucky’s 120 counties are designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas, and the School is responding with targeted, community-focused action. Through $6.5 million in federal funding secured from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Heather Mitchell, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs, and Sara Robertson, Associate Dean of Graduate Programs and Clinical Practice, are leading two distinct but complementary efforts to grow the nursing workforce across the rural areas of the Commonwealth.

Mitchell’s $3.9 million grant funds an accelerated LPN-to-BSN pathway built on a statewide collaboration between UofL, the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, and three major health systems: UofL Health, Owensboro Health Inc., and Mountain Comprehensive Health Corporation. Robertson’s $2.6 million grant advances health equity in the primary care and mental health nurse practitioner workforce, with a focus on recruiting and supporting students from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds in both Louisville and the Appalachian region served by Mountain Comprehensive Health Corporation. Mitchell and Robertson continue to build on this momentum by looking for new opportunities to support nurses in these communities.

50 years of educating nurses is just the beginning. Advocating for students in the planning of the new HSC building and expanding reach to eastern Kentucky are just two examples of what lies ahead. The School is optimistic and passionate about the future of nursing and remains steadfast in adjusting to the developing needs of nurses in the modern era. It’s a great time to be a Cardinal Nurse.