UMSON Faculty Members Awarded Nearly $5 Million in State Grants to Enhance Nursing Education and Workforce Development

Baltimore, Md. – Five University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) faculty members have been awarded Nurse Support Program (NSP) II grants totaling $4.82 million. NSP II grants aid in increasing nursing capacity in Maryland by implementing statewide initiatives to grow the number of nurses prepared to serve effectively in faculty roles and by strengthening nursing education programs at Maryland institutions.

Grants are funded through the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission and administered by the Maryland Higher Education Commission.

The NSP II grants awarded to UMSON beginning in Fiscal Year 2025 include:

• Susan L. Bindon, DNP ’11, MS ’96, RN, NPD-BC, CNE, FAAN, ANEF, associate professor, associate dean for faculty development, and director of both the Institute for Educators and the Teaching in Nursing and Health Professions Certificate – Igniting Faculty Capacity for Competency-Based Education in Maryland ($481,000 over three years)

The project’s primary goal is to enhance Maryland’s nursing workforce readiness through the increased integration of competency-based education (CBE) best practices in the state’s nursing programs. Recent evidence highlights the advantages of CBE for students, faculty, and employers alike, emphasizing student-centered learning outcomes and a partnered teaching-learning relationship over traditional teaching processes. The project seeks to support statewide nursing faculty in incorporating key CBE principles in their teaching approach. Leveraging the expertise of UMSON’s faculty team, including national CBE leaders and UMSON Institute for Educators faculty and staff, the goal is to prepare 200 nursing faculty members, representing 75% of Maryland’s 28 nursing programs.

• Crystal DeVance-Wilson, PhD ’19, MS ’06, MBA, BSN ’00, PHCNS-BC, assistant professor, director of the Maryland Nursing Workforce Center (MNWC), and vice chair of the UMSON program at the Universities at Shady Grove – Dedicated Education Unit ($485,000 over three years) and Maryland Nursing Workforce Center Continuation Grant ($1.85 million over four years.)

The Dedicated Education Unit (DEU) grant aims to expand on the prior accomplishments of a pilot project that showed medical-surgical students who participated in a DEU (an immersive clinical model and academic-practice partnership solution for preparing prelicensure nursing students that extends the precepted model by creating a care “village”) completed more skills and were very satisfied with their clinical experiences when compared to the traditional model. The DEU model also focuses on coaching and mentoring preceptors to develop and refine their skills. The program creates pathways to employment for students and builds a well-prepared cadre of staff nurses who are ready to mentor not only student nurses but also new graduates. During the next three years, the focus will be on expanding the model to all Maryland regions, continuous quality improvement, and strengthening the infrastructure with the aim of future sustainability.

The MNWC grant aims to sustain an aging nursing workforce. In Maryland, the median age of nurses is 51, compared to 46 nationally. Nurse recruitment has slowed, one in four nursing positions is vacant, and there are decreases in active license trends for RNs, LPNs, and CNAs. The MNWC, housed within UMSON, has expanded its focus to include advocacy, recruiting and pathways, retention, and nurse education while maintaining a primary focus on data collection, analysis, and dissemination. The continuation grant will allow the MNWC to implement its expansion plans, more closely align with workforce centers nationally, and leverage the resources and support of the National Forum for State Nursing Workforce Centers. 

• Bridgitte Gourley, DNP ’08, FNP-BC, associate professor; director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Family Nurse Practitioner specialty; and co-director of the University of Maryland, Baltimore Center for Interprofessional Education – Implementation of a Nurse-Managed Health Center ($1.17 million over four years)

Clinical site shortages are the largest risk to academic nursing. The effect of the nurse and primary care shortages post-pandemic have impacted the number of entry-into-nursing and graduate-level nurses that can be precepted in these settings. UMSON has developed a nurse-managed health center model that simultaneously addresses capacity for clinical sites, faculty practice, and CBE while providing care to vulnerable populations in Maryland. The grant will be used to implement the nurse-managed health center model, called Health, Equity, Access, and Learning - University of Maryland (“HEAL-UM”) School of Nursing clinics. It will also establish a nonprofit entity for faculty practice, Nurse Faculty Incorporated (NFI), to allow reimbursement for clinical services provided by faculty and students. HEAL-UM will include four pillars to bring care to communities in need: Head Start, the Governor’s Wellmobile Program, a Universities at Shady Grove (USG) Interprofessional Education Center, and community-based partnerships. This model will build capacity for financially sustainable, competency based, clinical education opportunities and an innovative faculty practice to uphold nurses as full partners in developing health care solutions.

• Katie McElroy, PhD ’16, MS ’10, BSN ’98, RN, CNE, associate professor and associate dean for the baccalaureate program – Planning a Part-Time Program for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing ($76,000 for one year)

The demographics and needs of contemporary nursing students have changed over time, and many students must dedicate substantial time outside of school to fulfill unavoidable work and family obligations. Limited options exist in Maryland for part-time entry-into-nursing Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students, although offering a part-time program could lead to increased student success, timely entry into the nursing workforce, and increased diversity in nursing students and the nursing workforce. This one-year planning grant seeks to gather and analyze data to confirm the need for a part-time BSN program and to design a pilot part-time BSN program for future implementation, with a focus on feasibility and sustainability.

• Amanda Roesch, DNP, MPH, FNP-C, assistant professor – Head Start Partnership to Expand Clinical Opportunities Continuation Grant ($756,000 over four years)

UMSON seeks continued support to expand collaboration between education and practice to build its capacity to educate nurses. The project aims to augment UMSON’s partnerships with Maryland Family Network, Early Head Start, and Head Start programs to provide family-centered services at Family Support Centers. Building on past success, the model integrates entry-into-nursing, RN-to-BSN, and DNP/advanced practice registered nurse students in community-based clinical placements. It addresses critical gaps in pediatric and primary care clinical experiences to support increased enrollment at UMSON’s Baltimore and USG locations. The project also seeks to broaden the scope of services offered to include primary care for adults while continuing to provide access to required examinations and screenings for children. 

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The University of Maryland School of Nursing, founded in 1889, is one of the oldest and largest nursing schools in the nation and is ranked among the top nursing schools nationwide. Enrolling nearly 2,000 students in its baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs, the School develops leaders who shape the profession of nursing and impact the health care environment.