University at Buffalo School of Nursing Expands Clinical Sites to Better Serve Native American Communities

The University at Buffalo (UB) School of Nursing recently expanded its clinical sites for students, offering improved nursing services to local Native American communities and other underserved populations. UB Nursing was also able to enhance its curriculum thanks to $3.4 million in grant funding from the US Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

The HRSA funding was provided in two grants—an Advanced Education Nursing grant, which ended in December, and an Advanced Nursing Education Workforce grant, which will continue through June. The two grants have led to significant improvements in addressing nursing shortages, both in outreach to underserved populations and by allowing the School of Nursing to educate more Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students.

Linda Paine Hughes, DNP, clinical assistant professor and program director for the two HRSA grants, tells buffalo.edu, “Because of the student’s clinical experiences and didactic education, our students have a better understanding of what they are going to face in practice within rural and underserved settings….Our goal is to provide personalized health care, which is culturally sensitive, safe and effective. As trusted team members, we will help improve access to health care for rural and underserved populations in Western New York and beyond.”

The HRSA grants have enabled the School of Nursing to expand its presence and establish new clinical sites. In the past four years, 36 students have completed their clinical rotations in rural underserved settings. The grants funded two, part-time psychiatric nurse practitioners and a cultural expert who served as liaison between the School of Nursing and the Tuscarora Nation Health Center, after the Tuscarora Nation leaders cited the need for traditional medicine services. The two nurse practitioners currently stationed at the Tuscarora Nation Health Center are graduates of UB’s nursing programs.