Regional Grant to Expand RN Workforce
Fisher-Titus Medical Center, in partnership with EHOVE Career Center, Magruder Hospital, and Terra State Community College, is proud to announce it has been awarded a $4 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency of the U.S Department of Health and Human Services. The goal of this funding is to improve the supply and geographic distribution of the registered nurse (RN) workforce throughout Erie, Ottawa, Sandusky, Seneca, and Huron counties.
Over the four-year period, funding will be utilized to:
1) Recruit and train 250 licensed practical nurses (LPNs) to become RNs through LPN to RN bridge programs at EHOVE and Terra State Community College.
2) Provide direct support to students to break down barriers that licensed practical nurses (LPNs) may experience that prevent them from advancing their careers, such as transportation, childcare, and technology costs.
3) Increase hands on clinical experiences in both healthcare and community-based settings, providing students with longitudinal experiential training and additional preceptorship opportunities.
While LPN to RN programs currently exist in the region, faculty shortages and lack of preceptors have made it difficult to provide the needed level of supervision and training students require to be successful in the field.
“Terra State is excited to be a part of the HRSA grant and offer our LPN to RN program to interested LPNs. This grant will give LPNs the opportunity to go back to school to become RNs without the financial barriers that many of them face,” says Ann Sergent, academic dean, Terra State Community College. “With a shortage of nurses in Ohio, the grant program will not only meet Ohio’s workforce needs but help people achieve their career goals. We are proud to be able to offer this to our community.”
"EHOVE's LPN to RN diploma program provides an easily accessible pathway for area LPNs who want to advance their career for themselves and their families,” says Laura Dowdell, adult education director at EHOVE Career Center. “The HSRA Grant will help more LPNs overcome barriers that delay, or even stop, their pursuit of becoming an RN. The newly licensed RNs will go on to impact local medical providers, hospitals and their patients, and finally our local economy and the community as a whole. With the nursing shortage bearing down on our area, this is crucial in strengthening our local workforce."
North central Ohio continues to face a significant nursing workforce shortage in a community with an older, aging population. Across the service area, 21.5 percent of residents are over the age of 65, and nearly 25 percent of the existing nurse workforce is over the age of 50.
“We are ecstatic about partnering to expand the clinical education and training of our nursing professionals,” says Stacy Daniel, director of clinical programs at Fisher-Titus Medical Center. “This funding not only benefits the project partners, but also our community and its residents. By providing opportunities for LPNs to become RNs and continue to live and work in their own community, we are building a nursing pipeline that will ensure the stability of the healthcare workforce across rural north central Ohio for years to come.”
“For nursing students, this means they will have the opportunity to advance their nursing degree and participate in a pathway that offers academic training and firsthand clinical practice,” added Daniel. “For the hospitals, this program will help fill nursing vacancies and accommodate greater access to care for patients. It’s a win-win for all involved, and we could not be more enthusiastic about getting this program under way.”
“Magruder Hospital is dedicated to strengthening our nursing workforce in the region. Funding provided from this partnership affords us the opportunity to empower our great nursing team and allow them to share their knowledge and skills to develop others,” says Kim Schreiner, chief nursing officer at Magruder Hospital. “We are committed to being a student-friendly environment for nurses in our area to grow to their highest potential and give back to the community we serve.”
Fisher-Titus was one of only nine organizations across the country awarded this funding through HRSA. Enrollment for both LPN to RN programs will begin in spring 2024 and classes will start in Aug. 2024.
