FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 10, 2010
Contact: Sarah Perry
(662) 329-7119
sperry@pa.muw.edu

Grant awarded to MUW’s nursing program

COLUMBUS, Miss. – Mississippi University for Women’s graduate nursing program has been awarded a $35,769 Advanced Education Nursing Traineeship (AENT) grant by the Health Resources and Services Administration for fall 2010.

The purpose of the grant is to strengthen and enhance the capacity of nursing education, practice and retention to address the nursing shortage. The nursing college will use the grant to retain and graduate nurse practitioner students in the masters degree program, who are planning to work in undeserved areas of Mississippi after graduation.

"The focus of the graduate nursing program is to educate advanced practice nurses in primary care," said Dr. Sheila Adams, dean of the College of Nursing and Speech-Language Pathology. "The majority of our graduate nursing students come from rural and underserved counties that have limited or no primary healthcare, and most will return to their home communities to practice."

Dr. Patsy Smyth, director of the graduate nursing program, is the project coordinator and will oversee the grant. Dr. Smyth received a doctor of science in nursing degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, a master of science in nursing degree from the University of Pittsburg and a bachelor of science in nursing degree from the State University of New York.

Before coming to MUW, Dr. Smyth was the director of the graduate nursing program at
Western Carolina University.

“We are fortunate to have received this grant and to have someone of Dr. Smyth’s caliber as project coordinator,” Adams said.

This program is supported 100 percent by federal funding. There are no university dollars committed to the program.

For more information about MUW’s nursing programs, please contact the Office of Admissions at (662) 329-7106 or visit www.muw.edu/nursing/.