It benefits the patient because they don t have to repeat health information over and over. Dr. Hays said during the next three years, she wants to recruit, enroll and retain 67 new graduate students in the program. Twenty-three students across Nebraska currently are enrolled under the new grant. In Nebraska, changes in reimbursement guidelines have resulted in both demands and opportunities in health care, said Dr. Westmoreland. In order to maintain financial solvency, both community-based and traditional health facilities must alter their operations, form new and unfamiliar coalitions and revise their services to meet health needs.
Nurse leadership is needed to ensure that patient needs are met as delivery systems change.
The title of the grant is Community Health Nursing, Nursing Administration and Nursing Informatics Distributive Education for Rural Nurses. It is an expansion of a grant for the Health Systems Nurse Specialist master s degree program which began in 1996.