Nursing college at Joliet’s University of St. Francis receives $100,000 grant

A Nursing School Grant from the Illinois Board of Higher Education to the University of St. Francis Leach College of Nursing will help address equity gaps for nursing students.

The Illinois Board of Higher Education awarded a $100,000 grant to the USF Leach College of Nursing (LCON), according to a news release from USF.

The university will use the grant to “address equity gaps in enrollment and course completion for USF nursing students in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and BSN Completion programs” with the purchase of equipment and provide extra hours of simulation labs for BSN students, the release said

Approximately half of these students are African American, Latinx, first-generation college students, from rural communities, low-income and/or working adults, USF said.

Equipment USF plans to purchase includes a medication dispensing system and simulation cart, USF said.

An additional 24 hours of simulations labs each week will accommodate working students. It will also provide “remediation on evenings and weekends to reinforce preparation our students for clinical practice,” USF said.

LCON expects this will help increase the student retention rate, which will then help students maximize their employment opportunities and ultimately benefit patients in Illinois USF said.

These outcomes align with the goals Leach College of Nursing set for 2019-2024, USF said. These goals include “strengthening communities of learning to provide all members a sense of belonging, and increasing completion and graduation rate in all programs,” USF said.

USF Leach College of Nursing Dean Yeijin Yeom said in the release the proposed outcomes will also help to address health equity in our community by fostering a more diverse nursing workforce.”