About Nurses for Wisconsin

Nurses for Wisconsin

About Nurses for Wisconsin

The 2013-15 Wisconsin Legislatures’ Biennial Budget required the UW System Board of Regents to invest $22.5 million to increase economic growth and build a stronger Wisconsin workforce. In late September, 2013, the UW System Office of Economic Opportunity announced the Economic Development Incentive Grant program and invited all UW institutions to submit applications (University of Wisconsin System, Office of Economic Development, 2013). Proposals were required to advance efforts in one or more of the following areas: economic development; development of educated and skilled workforce; and, improving affordability of postsecondary education.

Led by the UW-Eau Claire, College of Nursing and Health Sciences and application was developed that addressed all three of the goals of the Incentive Grant program with a focus of increasing the number of nurses qualified to teach at the baccalaureate and graduate level. The economic development criteria was met by the inclusion of the long-term goal to increase the number of baccalaureate prepared nurses available for employment by Wisconsin healthcare organizations. The educated and skilled workforce development criteria was addressed by increasing the number of doctorally prepared nurses. The criteria to improve affordability for postsecondary education was met by offering predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowships.

The project, implemented at UW-Eau Claire, UW-Madison, UW-Milwaukee, and UW Oshkosh, consists of three arms: (1) predoctoral fellowships awarded in the amount of $43,000 each year in tuition, fees, and stipend to accelerate the completion of a nursing Ph.D. or DNP program; (2) postdoctoral fellowships in the amount of $60,000 plus fringe benefits annually to attract doctorally-prepared faculty to UW System nursing programs; and, (3) a loan repayment program to attract and retain new faculty during the 2013-2015 biennium. Employees hired under this agreement receive up to $50,000 for repayment of their student loans. All awards are in exchange for a commitment to teach three consecutive years within the state of Wisconsin. Additional funding provides for two education conferences, as well as a project director and the development and implementation of a marketing plan.

To learn more read Nurses for Wisconsin: A Collaborative Initiative to Enhance the Nurse Educator Workforce.

Young, L.K., Adams, J.L., Lundeen, S., May, K.A., Smith, R.L. Wendt, L.E. (2015). Nurses for Wisconsin: A Collaborative Initiative to Enhance the Nurse Educator Workforce. Journal of Professional Nursing. In press. doi:10.1016/j.profnurs.2015.11.002

Press Releases and References to Project

Fellowships, Student Loan Forgiveness Programs Part of New Nurses for Wisconsin Initiative
University of Wisconsin System, January 21, 2014

University of Wisconsin System Aims to Create More Nurse Educators
U.S. News, January 22, 2014

Wisconsin Faces Looming Nursing Shortage

Public News Service, February 2014

School of Nursing Part of Nurses for Wisconsin Initiative
Medicine Forum Network, February 18, 2014

Nursing Shortage Prompts Campuses to Seek More Instructors
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Feb 21, 2014

Funding New Frontiers (pg. 11)
University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, Spring 2014

Nurses for Wisconsin Grant Project Hits $1 Million Mark
Future of Nursing Campaign, May 12, 2014

Seeking Strategies to Address Wisconsin's Nursing Shortage
Public Policy Forum Research Brief, July 2014

Investing in Tomorrow's Workforce

The View, UW-Eau Claire, October 28, 2014

36 Fascinating Nursing Shortage Statistics
Brandon Gaille Blog, December 3, 2014

Nursing Faculty Shortage
American Association of Colleges of Nursing, March 16 2015

Today’s Nurses Tomorrow’s Educators
Notre Dame College, March 27, 2015

UW-Eau Claire Launches Nurses on Teaching Career Path
UW-Eau Claire College of Nursing and Health Sciences, September 4, 2015

The U.S. is Running Out of Nurses
The Atlantic, February 6, 2016