Academic Consulting Group. Get the Grant: Writing a Powerful and Persuasive Grant Proposal EXAMPLES OF GRANT COMPONENTS

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1 Academic Consulting Group Get the Grant: Writing a Powerful and Persuasive Grant Proposal Objectives of Presentation: Susan Sportsman, RN, PhD, ANEF, FAAN 1. Evaluate the effectiveness of a basic logic model that represents a program grant proposal 2. Analyze components of a well constructed grant proposal 3. Differentiate between a program development and research proposal 4. Determine sources of funding appropriate for a grant idea. EXAMPLES OF GRANT COMPONENTS SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM/STATEMENT OF PROBLEM/BACKGROUND AND SIGNFICANCE Texas Advancing Progression in Nursing Education (APIN) Grant Funded by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation The percentage of RNs in the U.S. in 2008 who held either an ADN or a diploma in nursing as their current educational preparation was roughly equivalent to those who held either a BSN, Master s or Doctorate as their current preparation (13.9%, diploma prepared; 36.1%, associate degree prepared; 36.8%, BSN prepared; and 13.2% MSN or Doctorate) (HRSA, 2010). However, the percentage of students in the various types of entry level nursing programs across the country who graduated in 2008 was heavily weighted toward the Associate Degree graduate (60%) (NLN, 2010). The national statistics are reflected in the composition of nurses practicing in Texas. Currently, 194,695 registered nurses are practicing in Texas. RNs that hold a diploma or associate degree as their highest degree represent approximately 50% of the licensed population in Texas, although approximately 60% of the new graduates in 2010 were prepared at the associate degree level. (TCNWF, 2011). In addition, historically, only 16% of the Associate Degree/diploma prepared nurses return to school for further education. For example, in 2010, according to Texas Board of Nursing statistics, only 1,826 RNs were enrolled in Texas RN to BSN programs. It is possible that additional RNs practicing in Texas may be graduating from online programs operated by universities in other states, since currently only programs with an entry into practice program governed by the Texas Board of Nursing are required to report the number of annual RN to BSN graduates to the Board. However, regardless of the actual number of ADN graduates who currently return for a baccalaureate degree or higher, it will not be sufficient to achieve the Future of Nursing goal of a nursing workforce of which 80% are prepared at the baccalaureate degree or higher. 1

2 There are a number of barriers to achieving a RN workforce in Texas in which 80% of the nurses hold a BSN or higher degree. These barriers, similar to those impeding national progress toward this goal, include a lack of faculty, a significant rural population, life responsibilities (work, family, etc.) and state and university educational policies and regulations that make transferring from a community college to a university difficult. Sportsman and Allen (2011) report the result of a 2010 survey designed to determine the perception of students enrolled in Texas Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) programs regarding their plans to enroll in an e BSN program. Students cited the top four barriers to pursuing a baccalaureate degree as a) lack of time (66.9%), b) family obligations (55.1%), c) lack of financial aid (51.5%, and d)the number of prerequisite courses needed to pursue a BSN (32.3%) Despite these barriers, a majority of the student respondents reported that they hoped to return to school within five years The survey reported by Sportsman and Allen (2011) emphasized that students felt there was few external forces which encouraged pursuing a BSN or higher degree. Ninety percent of respondents who addressed the issues of benefits associated with the BSN either suggested that most ADN graduates did not know of the advantages of the BSN, or more likely, did not believe there were any advantages. However, in the subsequent two years, employers, particularly in the urban areas, have begun to preferentially hire BSN graduates. Some of these hospitals, including some who have joined the Consortium, have restricted associate degree student clinical placements in favor of BSN students. Midwestern State University, Wilson School of Nursing Dedicated Education Unit Funded by Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board The demand for RNs in Texas between 2005 and 2020 is expected to increase by 86% and the supply only by 53%. In response, Texas schools of nursing must double the number of graduates to 15,199 by 2013 (Texas Team, 2008). Midwestern State University (MSU) Wilson School of Nursing (WSON) has participated in the state s drive for increased admissions and graduation through innovation. From AY to AY , MSU WSON has increased the number of prelicensure graduates by 50.3%. Additional admissions to support a continued increase in graduation are proposed through the project, Use of a Dedicated Educational Unit to Increase Student Enrollment. The project will use a Dedicated Educational Unit (DEU) model of clinical nursing education to increase pre licensure admissions by 55 over the two years of the grant. The project rests on tested innovations and long established regional partnerships to maximize limited clinical sites and qualified faculty. Midwestern State University, Wilson School of Nursing Regional Simulation Center Funded by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Today s nursing shortage, characterized by fewer nurses adequately prepared to meet the changing needs of a diverse population, has been the focus of intense national scrutiny. According to projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics published in the February 2004 Monthly Labor Review, more 2

3 than one million new and replacement nurses will be needed in the United States by 2012 (AACN, 2004). This means that more jobs are expected to be created for registered nurses than for any other occupation in the country. In the state of Texas, public and private sources, including colleges and universities, have worked together to increase the number of students in both associate degree and baccalaureate nursing programs. Offers of admission and first year entering enrollments were up by approximately 87 percent between 1997 and 2003 and after a three year decline, the number of initial RN licensure graduates in 2003 returned to 1997 levels (THECB, 2004). However, the current nursing shortage is not driven by market factors; rather it is stimulated by demographic changes, such as the general population growth, the rising proportion of people over age 65, and advances in medical technology, which accelerates the future demand for patient care service. Therefore, despite admission and graduation increases, the future demand for RNs in Texas still exceeds the potential supply (THECB, p.ii) A lack of adequately prepared faculty appears to be one of, if not the greatest, impediment to increasing capacity in Texas nursing programs (THECB, 2004, p. iii). The 2004 report from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), Increasing Capacity and Efficiency in Programs Leading to RN Licensure in Texas (Draft) notes that the average entering class size of RN licensure programs increased 107 percent from 1999 to 2003, while average FTE faculty at these programs increased by only 12.5 percent for the same period. This disparity cannot continue without jeopardizing the quality of nursing education in Texas. OBJECTIVES Midwestern State University, Wilson School of Nursing: Dedicated Education Unit Funded by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board The objectives of the project, emphasizing student participation and excellence, include: 1) Increase the number of pre licensure nursing students admitted to the WSON BSN program by 55 students over the two year grant period (Student Participation); 2) Develop and implement a DEU model for pre licensure clinical education in four medical surgical courses, using two nursing units at United Regional Hospital (Excellence); 3) Test the effectiveness of the DEU model of clinical education for pre licensure nursing students (Excellence); 4) Develop a faculty resource pool of MSN prepared nurses employed by United Regional Hospital to teach according to their education and experience, in the didactic portions of the pre licensure nursing program (Excellence); and 3

4 5) Increase by six the number of BSN prepared nurses serving as DEU Clinical Instructors (CIs) who enroll in the WSON MSN Nurse Educator program in the first semester of the grant (Student Participation). Texas APIN Grant Goals/Objectives/Evaluation/Timelines GOAL: The goal of the proposal is develop a multi focused statewide model to assist all RN to BSN programs in the state of Texas to increase the number of associate degree prepared nurses graduating each year from1,826 in AY to 4,200 in AY , a 130% increase. Objective 1: Recruit twenty Texas nursing programs to adopt the standardized general education courses and prerequisites established by CABNET and forty programs to implement the concept based curriculum at the AD and BSN level as well as the recommended standardized education courses previously recommended.. TARGET: Fifty percent of all nursing programs in the state will participate in the CABNET project. STRATEGIES TO ATTAIN TARGET MEASURES TIMELINE Survey the 60 programs that have committed to participate in the CABNET project to obtain level of participation i.e. Level 1 or Level 2. Distribute letters of agreement for CABNET participation to all schools. Project orientation for all CABNET participants to Level 1 and Level 2. Meeting to report individual school curricula changes achieved. Courses included in the first year of the AD curriculum completed in the fall of The 2 nd year AD courses and the BSN nursing courses will be completed during the spring of Obtain Dean/Director commitment of level of participation via confirmation and project contact from each school identified Signed Memorandum of Participation from Deans and Directors. All project contacts return to home school to begin work of implementation in each participating school Curricula changes and academic policy changes needed have been approved by each school. Curricula changes completed Q1 by Sept. 1 Q1 by Sept. 15th Q1 Q1 Q2 4

5 The core courses for the MSN courses will be completed during the summer of Individual school participants begin to implement Level 1 and Level 2 of CABNET project. Annually report number of RN to BSN graduates to the project manager. Formative progress meeting of CABNET participants. Summative meeting for CABNET participants. Curricula changes completed Level 1 schools using general education prerequisite courses Level 2 using general education pre requisites plus the concept based curriculum. Accurate count of RNs prepared at the BSN level Data collected on progress thus far Data collected on 1 st cohort graduates. Q3 Q1, Q2 Q4, Q8 Q5 Q8 EVALUATION PLAN Midwestern State University Wilson School of Nursing, Regional Simulation Center Funded by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Goal Activities/ Strategies Outputs Expected Outcomes Measures/ Indicators of Success Persons from or About Whom Data are Being Collected Increase the number of prelicensure students admitted to the WSON BSN program by 55 over two year grant period WSON Student Affairs Committee will choose the most qualified students from applicant pool of approximately 250 students Ten additional qualified students will be admitted during the fall 2010 and spring of 2011; 15 in the fall of 2011; and 20 in the spring of 2012 SUMMATIVE The Fall, 2010 and Spring, 2011 admission class will include at least 90 students; the fall, 2011, least 95 students and the spring 2012 At least 90 students will be listed on the 12 th day class roll for NURS 3211/3212 Family Health Assessment in the fall of 2010 and spring of 2011; at least 95 Class roster for NURS 3103: Introduction to Nursing 5

6 class, at least 100. on the roll in fall of 2011 and 100 in the spring of Develop and implement a DEU model for pre licensure clinical education in 4 MS courses using 2 nursing units at URH Survey participants of DEU orientation regarding satisfaction Report number of students assigned to DEU each semester Hold two focus groups: a) DEU students & b) DEU staff in December, 2010 Approximately 75 total participants will complete survey after orientation during 2 year project 10 students fall, studentsspring students fall, studentsspring, 2012 Elicit opinions from 10 students &20 staff in fall, 2010 regarding functioning of DEU FORMATIVE Participants will find the orientation helpful in instituting the DEU Students assigned to DEU will progress without stops through the four MS courses Analysis of DEU processes At least 90% of the participants will find the orientation helpful or very helpful 100% of students assigned to DEU will progress through the four MS courses without stops Focus group responses are helpful in refining educational processes on DEU Revision of functioning of DEU, as necessary Staff participating in orientation Pre licensure students assigned to DEU URH Nurse Educator, CIs Med Surg Lead Faculty, Nurse Educator Program Coordinator, prelicensure students 90% of students and staff will be satisfied or very 6

7 satisfied with assignment to the DEU Using focus group results, develop & distribute satisfaction surveys for DEU students and staff to be completed the spring and fall, 2011, and spring, 2012 Surveys from 20 pre licensure students and 20 staff Spring students and 20 staff Fall, 2011 Analysis of satisfaction of students and staff regarding assignment to DEU DEU students and staff 40 students and 20 Spring 2012 BUDGET JUSTIFICATION Wilson School of Nursing, Midwestern State University, Dedicated Education Unit Personnel: The total amount requested for the project is $ 292,728; $145,439 for year 1 and $147,289 for year 2. Salaries account for $144,978 of the funding request ($ 72,489 in both year 1 and 2). The Project Director, Dr. Susan Sportsman, will devote 10% of her time to overall supervision of the project, for a total cost of $35,786 ($17,893 in both year 1 and 2). One half of her time will be spent in the evaluation process ($ 8, in both year 1 and 2). A WSON faculty member teaching in medicalsurgical pre licensure courses will serve as the Med Surg Lead Faculty. She will devote 17.5% of her time to this project for a cost of $ $12,064 for each year, for a total of $ 24,128. Dr. Jane Leach will serve as the Nurse Educator Program Coordinator and will devote 10% of her time to the project for a cost of $6,892 in year 1 and 2 for a total cost of $13, 784. She will integrate the preceptor responsibilities of the DEU CIs into MSN course assignments and will supervise the CIs in their teaching responsibilities. A number of adjunct positions will be required to implement the project. MSN prepared URH employees will be assigned to seven of the WSON didactic courses in the fall and spring semesters in year 1 and 2 to provide class room and student evaluation assistance to MSU faculty. The adjunct faculty s commitment will be equivalent to1.5 work load units (WLU) at $1,000/ unit. The total cost of 7

8 these adjunct positions will be $42,000 or $21,000/year. In addition, during each of the four semesters, 2 additional adjunct faculty members to supervise a clinical group in Psychiatric Nursing or Community Health Nursing will be needed to accommodate the increased enrollment. Each of these two adjunct faculty members will receive $3,000 per semester for a total cost of $24,000. Fringe benefits for MSU full time faculty members will be figured at 28% and the adjunct faculty, at 8%. The total fringe benefits are $21,402. Travel: Travel costs for the project are $4,250. The Project Director will make 5 trips to Austin spending $400 per trip. Three of the trips will be in year 1 ($1,200) and two, in year 2 ($800). In addition, in year 2, $2,250 will be allocated for travel for two presentations (one in state and one out of state) to disseminate the results of the project. Materials, Supplies, and Non Capital Equipment: Materials, supplies, and non capital equipment are budgeted at $3, 000 per year or $6,000 for both years in the project. This will include paper, copying, and orientation expenses. MSU has also budgeted $750 per year for payment for the THECB consultant. There is no capital equipment or participant costs included in the budget. Subcontract with Partner: MSU will contract with URH to provide a URH Nurse Educator to serve as the faculty of record for all the students assigned to the DEU. The contract will also support 6 CIs to serve as preceptors. In year 1, the contract will be for $68,000 and in year 2, $68, 000, for a total of $136,000. It is anticipated that the URH Nurse Educator will spend approximately 25% of her time working with DEU students. Each CI is projected to spend between 4 6% of their time with students. Cost Sharing: Cost sharing in the amount of $12,000 will be provided by the Minnie Rhea Wood Scholarship and the Midwestern State University Charitable Trust. A $1,000 scholarship for each of the six BSN prepared nurses will be awarded each year of the project. SUSTAINABILITY Midwestern State University Wilson School of Nursing, Regional Simulation Grant The partners in this grant have made a commitment to continue to fund the center beyond August, The simulation will be a valuable resource to MSU, VC, and URHCS throughout the grant period, and it is envisioned to become a valuable resource to other health care organizations and interdisciplinary groups in the region. Peteani (2004) presents a business case for contracting with other agencies as a supplier of clinical competency validation for other health care organizations. There are ten acute care and rehabilitation hospitals within a 45 minute drive of the center and these facilities are required to validate the clinical competencies of their nursing and allied health staff on an annual basis. The Peteani model can be used to market the simulation center to these agencies to meet those requirements. In addition, the Chief Nurse Executive of the 82 nd Medical Group at Sheppard Air force Base, the physician residency group, and the RN re entry programs offered at VC and MSU have 8

9 indicated interest in gaining access to the center for skills validation. There is no doubt that this venture can be sustained, and that it will develop into a rich, interdisciplinary learning environment where nurses can work in concert with physicians and allied health professionals in simulated patient situation that mirror reality. ABSTRACT Project # 9 1. Institution and Project Title: Midwestern State University: Use of a Dedicated Educational Unit to Increase Student 2. Keyword Description (max. 5 words or phrases): Dedicated Educational Unit (DEU); Increasing Pre licensure Nursing Student Admissions; Increasing Nurse Educators; Faculty Resource Pool; Evaluation of DEU Effectiveness 3. Abstract: The demand for RNs in Texas between 2005 and 2020 is expected to increase by 86% and the supply only by 53%. In response, Texas schools of nursing must double the number of graduates to 15,199 by 2013 (Texas Team, 2008). Midwestern State University (MSU) Wilson School of Nursing (WSON) has participated in the state s drive for increased admissions and graduations through a partnership with United Regional Hospital (URH). These partners will continue their commitment to innovation by meeting the five major goals of this project, thus achieving the Texas Team Goal 3:2: To develop and expand partnerships between nursing programs and their clinical and community affiliates The goals of the project, emphasizing student participation and excellence, include: 1) Increasing the number of pre licensure nursing students admitted to the WSON pre licensure BSN program by 55 students over the two year grant period (Student Participation); 2) Developing and implementing a DEU model for pre licensure clinical education in four medical surgical courses, using two nursing units at United Regional Hospital (Excellence); 3) Testing the effectiveness of the DEU model of clinical education for pre licensure nursing students (Excellence); 4) Developing a faculty resource pool of MSN prepared nurses employed by United Regional Hospital to teach according to their education and experience, in the didactic portions of the pre licensure nursing program (Excellence); and 5) Increasing by six the number of BSN prepared nurses serving as DEU Clinical Instructors who enroll in the WSON MSN Nurse Educator program in the first semester of the grant (Student Participation). Implementation of a DEU model for clinical instruction and the use of hospital employed MSNs in a faculty resource pool to support increasing student admissions are new to Texas. In addition, integrating the preceptor role of DEU Clinical Instructors into assignments of a MSN Nurse Educator Program facilitates the preparation of more master s prepared nurses available for faculty positions in the north central Texas area. Each of the five project goals will be evaluated by reporting the number of students admitted during the grant period; the satisfaction of DEU staff and students with the units functioning; the satisfaction of students, faculty and resource pool members with their roles; and the number of graduate semester credit hours taken by the DEU

10 CIs. Of particular importance is the testing of the effectiveness of the DEU model. This will be accomplished through comparison of DEU students and students in control groups on medical surgical course grades and clinical performance, student engagement, student perception of quality and safety competence, and their actual performance on course related clinical competencies, including the MSU Competency Transcript and HESI exams. In addition, URH patient satisfaction scores from the two nursing units composing the DEU model before and after implementation will be compared. 10