Increasing the number of nursing faculty: Evaluation of a university system workforce grant.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The University of Wisconsin System Incentive Grant, Nurses for Wisconsin Learn, Teach, Lead (N4WI) was a workforce initiative to address the nursing faculty shortage at four universities and included funding nurses to their terminal degree, postdoctoral fellowships, and loan forgiveness for faculty hires. It also included professional development opportunities for awardees. PURPOSE: The purpose of the article is to disseminate the evaluation of N4WI and discuss the impact of the project. METHODS: Methods of evaluation included assessment of data points as well as qualitative information. FINDINGS: N4WI was successful in achieving its goal of increasing nursing faculty applicants and hires at the respective schools with total awardees numbering 54. DISCUSSION: As a result of N4WI and using it as a template, nursing organizations within the state collaborated to successfully pursue state funding to grow nursing faculty called Wisconsin Nurse Educator Program to benefit the 44 nursing programs in Wisconsin.