By Amy Curtis | September 2024

In this issue: Grant money available to upskill the Kansas nursing workforce, Congrats to KSBN, Nursing workforce data modeling: a California example.

This newsletter is 1,000 words long, about a 4-minute read.

Kansas nurses can access grant money for continuing education

Rural Kansas main street.

The Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) awarded several Kansas universities nursing workforce grants in order to bolster the nursing workforce, specifically in rural, tribal, or underserved areas in the state.

Why it matters: These federal grants bring much needed money to Kansas to:

Spread the word: please let Kansas nurses know that these grants, and the universities that secured them, make continuing their nursing education affordable.

Contact each university about these grant opportunities:

We are proud of the universities bringing these resources to Kansas. 

Raise your hand: Did you receive a grant or funding that benefits Kansas nurses? Let us know! 

Congratulations to the Kansas State Board of Nursing!

Kansas State Board of Nursing representatives at the 2023 NCSBN Annual Meeting with their award. Front row (left to right): Licensing Supervisor Rae Ann Byrd, Executive Administrator Carol Moreland, Board President Julianna Rieschick. Back row: Director of Operations Adrian Guerrero, Executive Assistant Jill Simmons, Nursing Education Compliance Officer Janelle Martin, Practice Specialist Linda Davies.

The Kansas State Board of Nursing (KSBN) was honored with National Council of State Boards of Nursing’s (NCSBN) Regulatory Achievement Award for 2023.

KSBN Executive Administrator Carol Moreland, MSN, RN, CPM, nominated KSBN for this award noting, “I think it's tough for people to nominate themselves. But when I go to NCSBN meetings and I look around, I'm just in awe. People have accomplished a lot more than they remember. When this was in the works, I thought, ‘my gosh, look at everything Kansas has done, and we've been so quiet.’”

Read the full story in the current issue of In Focus, page 20.

Catch up quick: September Research Committee Meeting

Screenshot from the September Research Committee meeting

The Research Committee continues to grow. We are excited to welcome all new members!

Watch a recording of the September Research Committee meeting where Joanne Spetz, PhD, Director, Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies; Director, UCSF Health Workforce Research Center on Long-Term Care at the University of California, San Francisco presented "Tracking the Nursing Workforce within States: California’s Data and Projection Model.”

Next month we will hear from Aditi Gupta, MD, KU Medical Center Frontiers Associate Director and Julius Leary, EdD, Frontiers Executive Director, about "Frontiers Roadshow – Learn more about our resources, services, education and training programs and funding opportunities." 

Led by Shin Hye Park, PhD, RN, the Research Committee, facilitates and promotes collaborative nurse research activities across the state. The committee's goal is to leverage research talent to better serve the healthcare community of Kansas, advance the field of nursing and healthcare and strengthen the nursing workforce in Kansas.

The next scheduled meeting is October 24, 2024 from 10-11 a.m.

You can sign up here to receive the meeting link. Please forward to colleagues who may also wish to attend.

State of Nursing in Kansas 2024 Key Finding: Diverse Population

The population of Kansas is growing more diverse, yet Kansas RNs remain primarily white and female. Of note is that LPNs and younger-aged RNs are more racially, ethnically, and gender diverse than older RNs.

Why this matters: studies show that when the nursing workforce is diverse, both patient care quality and financial results improve.

Go deeper: When reading the report, see pages 18 and 34 for detailed information on RN and LPN/LVN diversity in Kansas.

Don’t miss out. Download your copy of the State of Nursing in Kansas report.

Celebrating a successful rollout 

Hello colleagues and friends!

During the week of the Kansas Hospital Association's convention we enjoyed seeing many of you at the Kansas Nursing Workforce Center's board meeting, the Kansas Organization of Nurse Leaders' meeting, and the Kansas chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives' meeting. 

Since publishing the State of Nursing in Kansas report on September 5, more than 1,000 copies were hand delivered to stakeholders of the Kansas Nursing Workforce Center. 

Additionally, the report has been downloaded over 260 times from our website. 

It has been fun for us to see the lightbulbs that go on when people thumb through the report. 

Decision makers are saying that they look forward to using the information and nurses report that it is wonderful to see themselves represented in the data. 

After the November election, we will make sure that each Kansas legislator receives a copy of the report so that they can make better legislative decisions about the nursing workforce. 

—Amy Garcia and Barbara MacArthur

Kansas Nursing Workforce Center

What We’re Reading

Have Kansas Nursing Workforce news, solutions, or kudos you’d like us to share?
Email nursingwill@kumc.edu

You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from the Kansas Nursing Workforce Center. See below for unsubscribe details.

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get it delivered to your inbox.