Rush One of Five Hospitals Selected For Multimillion-Dollar Nurse Training Program Aimed at Filling Gaps in Primary Care

The Department of Health and Human Services named Rush University Medical Center as one of five hospitals nationwide to take part in an initiative designed to train more nurses at a higher level.

Under the Graduate Nurse Education (GNE) demonstration, Rush will receive approximately $12.9 million over four years to increase training opportunities for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs).

“This program puts Rush in a leadership role in the nation’s efforts to train nurses to meet the increased demand for primary and preventive care,” said Kathleen Delaney, professor, Community, Systems & Mental Health Nursing in Rush’s College of Nursing.

The GNE demonstration, which is funded through the Affordable Care Act, promotes a partnership among Rush’s College of Nursing, several hospitals (including the Rush System for Health hospitals) and select community service sites throughout Illinois. While Rush University Medical Center and the Rush College of Nursing have educated nurses for more than 135 years, the GNE demonstration will support increased enrollment of APRNs, some of whom are currently turned away due to capacity limitations at training sites. APRNs include nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, nurse anesthetists and nurse midwives.

“This innovative collaboration will allow Rush to train a new workforce of practitioners and improve healthcare, and particularly primary care, in many communities,” said Larry Goodman, MD, CEO of Rush University Medical Center. “Rush could not have successfully competed for participation in this important project had it not been for the strong support of our elected representatives, particularly Senator Durbin, Congressman Davis, Congressman Jackson, Mayor Emanuel and Governor Quinn.”

The initiative’s funding will allow Rush to set up additional training sites for students and increase capacity at current sites, which can allow for clinical rotations for nurses throughout Chicago, Illinois and surrounding states. The APRNs will receive advanced training in primary care, preventive care, transitional care and chronic care management, which can help fill gaps in community settings, including in under-served rural and inner-city areas. Rush plans to increase capacity for new APRNs in September.

Read the entire news release. 

More Information at Your Fingertips:
Read more about how Rush helps train our future health care practitioners.