The Francis Marion University (FMU) School of Health Sciences recently received a $1.8 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) aimed at promoting nursing workforce diversity. The funding will provide four-year grants to cover tuition support for up to 100 students, in addition to funding initiatives for the nursing department like the BSN program.

The HRSA funded the grant from their workforce diversity program to help increase nursing education opportunities for students from disadvantaged or underrepresented backgrounds, including racial and ethnic minorities. Diversity is slowly increasing in the nursing workforce, but the minority participation currently remains below 20 percent according to SCNow.com.

FMU intends to use the funding to improve the diversity of its nursing student body. This will include financial support, assigning graduate student mentors to freshman students, special freshman-level “university life” courses for pre-nursing students, and academic help through the Center for Academic Success and Achievement. Ruth Wittmann-Price, dean of the School of Health Sciences, tells SCNow.com:

“We’re thrilled to receive another HRSA grant and to continue our role in shaping the nursing workforce in the years to come. Our programs, and our impact on the community, continues to grow. We’re proud of what we’ve done, but the future is really exciting.”

FMU is the only university in South Carolina to receive a grant through the workforce diversity program, and this is the fourth HRSA grant the university has received since 2016. All of the grants have been aimed at improving access to healthcare for the community or access to healthcare education for disadvantaged and underserved populations.

See also
Adelphi Nursing Program Receives Maximum Accreditation

To learn more about FMU’s funding to promote nursing workforce diversity, visit here.

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