Kentucky has a severe shortage of health care providers, with at least some portion of 113 of the state’s 120 counties designated as , including parts of Jefferson County.

“These kinds of workforce pipeline grants are truly transformative and will make a lasting and tangible impact on the health and wellness of Kentuckians for generations to come,” said Interim Provost Gerry Bradley. “Our highly trained and committed nursing faculty are advancing the work that enables us to continue in our effort to expand access to high quality and diverse health care across the entire Commonwealth.” 

School of Nursing Interim Dean Mary DeLetter says she’s proud of the nursing faculty who worked tirelessly to secure these grants that benefit nursing students, the nursing profession and ultimately, citizens across the state.

“These programs support opportunities to enhance clinical training and bring superior nursing care to all corners of the Commonwealth, from rural Appalachia to urban Jefferson County to rural western Kentucky counties,” she said.

Of the total grant funding, $3.9 million was awarded to Heather Mitchell, associate professor and interim associate dean for the undergraduate and pre-licensure programs, and her team to develop an accelerated LPN-to-BSN pathway for nurses in medically underserved areas of Kentucky. The program is a statewide collaboration between the UofL School of Nursing and the , and will also include academic-practice collaborations with three large health systems across Kentucky —, and . The grant will support scholarships for up to 83 students to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.  

“Our objective is to address the shortage of practice-ready registered nurses by increasing access to baccalaureate nursing education across Kentucky. This collaborative effort will provide an opportunity for licensed practical nurses to accelerate their pathway to RN licensure and meet workforce needs in medically underserved areas of Kentucky,” Mitchell said. “When I think about the impact we will have on nurses’ and patients’ lives, and for generations to come, knowing that we are making a difference out in those communities is so meaningful to me. This is why I do what I do.”

A second $2.6 million HRSA grant was awarded to Sara Robertson, associate professor and interim associate dean for the DNP and APRN programs, for “Advancing Diversity and Health Equity in the Primary Care and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Workforce.” Robertson is partnering with the , , and Mountain Comprehensive Health Corporation. The goal is to increase the education of nurse practitioners from diverse populations, including underrepresented minorities and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

“We want the nurse practitioner workforce to more closely mirror the population of Kentucky in terms of diversity and enable NPs from rural areas in the state to earn an APRN degree and provide high quality health care in their own rural areas across the Commonwealth,” Robertson said. “To be able to offer scholarships for students whose dream is to work with vulnerable and rural populations is impactful. This funding will help make their dreams of becoming a nurse practitioner a reality and at the same time, improve access to quality health care across the state of Kentucky.”

View the from the Dec. 4 press conference. 

Sara Robertson, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, UofL School of Nursing assistant professor, will receive the association’s Advocate State Award for Excellence, given annually to a person in each state who has made a significant contribution toward increasing the awareness and recognition of nurse practitioners. Robertson, a family nurse practitioner, will receive the award on June 21 during the association’s annual conference in Indianapolis.

Robertson was the first director appointed to the UofL Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program, which prepares students for leadership roles in health care. The program launched in 2016.

“This title brought her the responsibility of developing the entire program, which included curriculum development, hybrid course development, staff recruitment and development, and student recruitment,” School of Nursing Assistant Professor Dedra Hayden wrote in her award nomination of Robertson. “Always serving as the advocate for DNP students and practice, Robertson spent countless hours on program implementation to ensure its success.”

With Robertson’s guidance and commitment, the DNP program recently received accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing łÉČËÖ±˛Ą.

As director of the Kentucky Racing Health Services Center, run by the School of Nursing, she managed care of more than 1,000 patients per year. The clinic serves low-income backside racetrack workers at Churchill Downs. For her work at the clinic, Robertson in 2017 received the Edge Runner Award from the American Academy of Nursing, which recognizes nurses who are transforming health care for the better.

The annual award is given to a nurse practitioner in each state who demonstrates excellence in his or her area of practice. Hutti, a UofL School of Nursing professor, will be honored at an awards ceremony and reception during the AANP 2016 National Conference June 21-26 in San Antonio.

In 1993, Hutti founded the Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner Program at UofL, the first of its kind in Kentucky. It has transformed into the Women’s Health-Family Nurse Practitioner Dual Major, and graduates have maintained a 100-percent pass rate on their first attempt of the NCC certification exam since the program’s inception. Hutti helped develop the women’s health nurse practitioner scope and standards of practice, which included requiring a master’s of science in nursing as the entry into practice for women’s health nurse practitioners, said Whitney Nash, PhD, MSN, ANP-BC, UofL School of Nursing associate dean of practice and service.

“Dr. Hutti has an extensive record of research that includes more than 30 publications and more presentations than I can count,” said Nash, the Kentucky representative for AANP. “Her most recent and perhaps most significant contribution to women’s health is her development of the Perinatal Grief Intensity Scale. This instrument aids in predicting those parents at greatest risk for intense grief after perinatal loss.”

Hutti has received national and international recognition for her research on perinatal loss, the death of a fetus or infant soon after birth. But for Hutti, the vivid memories of helping struggling students excel in nursing school and go on to achieve professional success stand out.

“There was a group of students I had who just didn’t know how to study, and I remember having study sessions over my dining room table with them,” Hutti said. “Every one of them ended up passing my course and all their subsequent courses. When I look back over my career, those are the things that really make me feel good.”