Grant awarded to support six students in FNP program

The Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation is awarding a $30,000 grant to the UM School of Nursing and Health Studies to support students in the Family Nurse Practitioner Master of Science of Nursing program

The University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies is receiving a grant from the Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation in the amount of $30,000 to support six students in its Family Nurse Practitioner Master of Science of Nursing program.

"Family nurse practitioners have a promising future" said Nilda Peragallo, dean of the UM School of Nursing and Health Studies. "The Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation grant will help the students receive the quality educational experiences they need to become expert prac-titioners. We are extremely grateful to the foundation for supporting our mission to increase nursing capacity and improve access to health care"

Florida is among five states projected to experience the most critical shortage in primary care physicians within the next decade. This trend underscores the need to educate more Family Nurse Practitioners (FNPs). As front-line primary care givers, FNPs are important members of the health care system today, providing needed health care services together with medical specialists.

Preparing more FNPs will increase the number of health care providers for South Florida communities. FNPs practice in concert with family physicians in a broad range of clinical set-tings. This collaboration enables physicians to focus on patients with complex needs, resulting in more efficient, comprehensive health care for all patients. FNPs also work in underserved areas to diagnose, treat, and refer patients when a physician is unavailable. With the nationwide nursing shortage and the decline in the number of family physicians, FNPs are in increasingly high demand

The University of Miami's FNP program emphasizes a multidisciplinary, culturally sensitive, community based curriculum that focuses on health prevention and patient care outcomes. The 11 course, 37 credit program includes courses in women's health, adult health, and pediatrics as well as advanced health assessment and physiology/pathophysiology. Graduates of this program enjoy a 100% passing rate on the FNP certification exam administered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.