Samford University’s Moffett & Sanders School of Nursing received a $2.6 million federal grant to fund nurse practitioner students from disadvantaged communities to work in rural and underserved areas of Alabama.

Associate Dean for Scholarly Activity and nursing professor Stephanie Wynn, who researched and applied for the grant, said she was excited about how this grant will assist communities that don’t have enough internal, family medicine, or behavioral health providers.

The Association of American Medical Colleges predicts a shortage of 124,000 physicians in the United States by 2034. According to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, nurse practitioners can fill this healthcare gap because they have advanced clinical training beyond a typical registered nurse. They can provide specialized care, order diagnostic tests, treat conditions and prescribe medications.

“We’re training our students to actually go work in our state and take care of populations to address those health equity issues and those social determinants of health issues that are seen in rural and medically underserved populations,” Wynn said.

The money comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration. The funding will go towards stipends to offset the cost of living for students and fund experiential and mentoring programs as part of the Advanced Nursing Education Workforce (ANEW). ANEW students will learn about cultural humility, self-care, and clinical competence. Wynn said one of the primary social determinants of health in Alabama the ANEW program will address is health literacy.

“Health literacy is the degree in which our residents are able to understand information and the services that are available for them to make informed health-related decisions,” she said. Wynn said people, particularly older folks, go into healthcare settings and need help understanding what the medical professionals say to make informed consent decisions.

The program should be ready to accept applications from registered nurses with a degree from an accredited nursing school around Sept. 1. The program will take about two years to complete. For more information, go to Samford’s website.