On Monday, Arkansas State University – Mountain Home (ASUMH) in partnership with Baxter Health received a grant in the amount of $625,175 through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 for the Arkansas Linking Industry to Grow Nurses (ALIGN) program. The award was presented by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and will allow ASUMH and Baxter Health to develop a new partnership to create a clinical pre-residency experience for students at Baxter Health.
Listen:
The initiative aims to enhance nursing education by expanding simulation lab experiences and by standardizing nursing clinical practices. The objective is to increase the LPN and RN nursing admission capacity at ASUMH and to actively recruit and retain clinical nurse educators, and decrease the time required for graduates to integrate into hospital operations.
ASUMH will hire a Clinical Nursing Educator to oversee all aspects of the LPN and RN pre-residency program who will be housed at Baxter Health. In addition, a Clinical Nursing Coordinator will be hired to oversee the clinical scheduling, recruitment, retention of clinical nursing instructors, the White Coat Program and student nursing education for the apprenticeship program. This position will be located on the ASUMH campus.
Sarah Brozynski, director of education at Baxter Health, says, “Our goal is to provide a comprehensive and enriching experience for nurse residents, ensuring they are well-prepared to deliver exceptional care to our patients. This initiative not only benefits the graduates and Baxter Health, but also contributes to elevating the standard of healthcare in our community.”
The grant will also facilitate the acquisition of additional simulation equipment for use on the ASUMH campus and at Baxter Health including Apollo Manikin, Aria Manikin, Learning Space Technology – Medical Trainer at Baxter Health and Laerdal SimBaby, Laerdal SimJunior and Nursing Kelly Manikin at ASUMH.
ASUMH was one of 19 other recipients for grant funds totaling $20 million.
FULL INTERVIEW
Listen:
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI