Supporting Health Equity Through APRN Workforce Development: Strategies for Nursing Graduate Programs to Increase Access to Care in Underserved Areas.

ABSTRACT: Graduate nursing programs have an opportunity to support health equity, especially for people who live in rural communities and other health care provider shortage areas. The Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) bridges access to care gaps across a variety of care settings and populations, but the employment of APRNs is generally skewed toward urban areas. Institutions of higher education are uniquely positioned to address this imbalance. This article outlines the strategies, success, implications for current practice, and recommendations of a federally funded project launched in 2023 aimed at improving the distribution of APRNs in Oklahoma. Utilizing the social determinants of health model, the project employed 3 strategies: recruit from diverse backgrounds, support students with fin

SUBMITTER: Gordon JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12689494 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan-Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature