Grant helps VUSN train faculty in informatics, telehealth

BY: KATHY RIVERS

9/11/2009 - Vanderbilt University School of Nursing recently landed a $1.3 million grant from the Health Resource and Services Administration (HRSA) for faculty development in informatics, simulation and telehealth.

“Today's nursing faculty are faced with the complex task of educating nurses for a world facing a workforce shortage, increasing patient complexities, and an ever increasing dependence on technology for patient care, documentation and communication,” said Betsy Weiner, Ph.D., R.N., senior associate dean for Informatics at VUSN and principal investigator of the grant. “On top of that, patient safety and quality are important priorities.”

According to the Institute of Medicine's 2003 report on health education, the education of health professionals is viewed as a bridge to quality care. This grant will address faculty development in areas that are both new to nursing and instrumental in meeting educational challenges.
VUSN has partnered with the University of Kentucky for this project.

Plans include piloting the project in Kentucky and Tennessee, followed by a regional board representing 16 Southern states with high-incidence of life threatening diseases. The goal in the final years is to expand offerings to all nursing educators in the nation. The grant will run concurrently with Weiner's earlier $1.6 million HRSA grant for further faculty development in simulation.

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