§1161d Capacity for Nursing Students and Faculty

Summary

Provides federal grants to colleges with accredited nursing programs so they can teach more students, hire more faculty, and expand facilities for nursing education. Colleges that want a grant must figure out the average number of enrolled nursing students for the four academic years before the year they seek the grant, and send an application with that information. For each academic year after academic year 2009–2010, a college’s grant equals $3,000 times the number of additional matriculated students above that four‑year average. The law sets how grant money is split each year: 20% for graduate/advanced practice nursing programs, 40% for baccalaureate RN programs, and 40% for associate RN programs. If money remains in one category after all applicants are funded, the leftover is shared equally with the other categories. The Secretary must try to spread grants fairly by geography, between urban and rural areas, and among different kinds and sizes of schools. Up to 10% of the total money may be used for partnerships with hospitals or health centers to support distance learning, collect outcome data, or let nurses earn pay while getting advanced degrees by funding release time, faculty pay, or scholarships. For those hospital partnership programs, students must be registered nurses working toward a master’s or doctoral degree, have a contract with the hospital, use the hospital as a clinical site if needed, keep at least part‑time work and pay, and scholarship recipients must teach in an accredited nursing school two years for every year of support. Funds cannot pay to build new buildings but can be used to repair or renovate. Money is authorized “as needed” for fiscal year 2009 and the five following fiscal years.