Nursing Workforce Development

Advanced Education Nursing Program

Authorizing Legislation: Section 811, Public Health Service Act, Title VIII, (42 U.S.C. 296j)

Program Description and Accomplishments

The purpose of the Advanced Education Nursing (AEN) Grant Program is to provide funding to meet the costs of projects to prepare advanced education nurses through the enhancement of advanced nursing education and practice. This program was established through authorizing legislation in 1998. The term “advanced education nurses” means nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, nurse-midwives, nurse anesthetists, nurse educators, nurse administrators, public health nurses or other nurse specialists determined by the Secretary to require advanced nurse education. Advanced education programs include master’s and doctoral degree programs, combined RN/master’s degree programs, post-master’s certificate programs, and/or in the case of the certificate nurse-midwifery programs that were in existence on November 12, 1998.

Approximately 13 percent of the nursing workforce is prepared at the master’s or doctoral level (National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses, 2004). The AEN authority provides support for: (1) projects that support advanced nursing education and practice; and (2) traineeships for individuals in advanced education programs.

Under the AEN Program, grants are awarded to eligible institutions for projects to prepare advanced education nurses through the enhancement of advanced nursing education and practice. Eligible entities include collegiate schools of nursing, academic health centers, and other private or public non-profit entities accredited by a national nurse education accrediting agency or State approval agency recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. Grants and or contracts are awarded to eligible entities for three-year project periods through a competitive peer-reviewed process.

As reported in the 2004 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses, advanced education nurses now make up an estimated 13 percent of the nursing workforce. Support for graduate level nursing education projects under the AEN Program often include more than one specialty since core course requirements are frequently common for all the specialties. Clinical components are focused on functional roles of nurse practitioner, nurse-midwife, clinical nurse specialist, educator, administrator, public health nurse, and other specialized functions needed in today’s economic and political environment. These programs also provide specialized content to better prepare graduate nurses in emergency preparedness, including bioterrorism, prevention of violence in communities and families, care of survivors, and mental health care of survivors of violence including veterans returning from the conflicts of war.

Nurse Practitioner (NP) and Nurse-Midwifery projects involve education of NPs and nurse-midwives who directly provide quality, affordable, cost-effective primary care services to underserved populations. Thirty-seven percent of nurse anesthetists practice in communities of less than 50,000 and there continues to be a shortage of nurse anesthetists in rural and inner city areas. Nurse anesthetists are the predominant anesthesia providers in rural areas providing up to 70 percent of all anesthesia services. Other types of advanced education nurses are needed to work in all areas, especially in areas to improve access for underserved populations and to increase applicants to schools of nursing.

In FY 2007, 49 new grantees and 85 non-competing continuation grantees were funded. These programs prepare primary care nurse practitioners, nurse-midwives, nurse anesthetists, clinical nurse specialists, nurse administrators, public health nurses, and nurse specialists in informatics. They also prepare advanced practice nurses that will serve as direct care providers (primary care providers), leaders in health care and public health, and nursing faculty. The estimated contributions of graduates include increasing access to primary health care, providing primary, secondary and tertiary prevention, and providing direct care across the life span in a wide variety of settings such as hospitals, in the home, long term care settings and in health care systems. These providers work in health systems to assure continuous quality of care.

A new trend in nursing education is the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree which is a practice doctorate. The majority of advanced practice nursing programs are transitioning existing master’s programs into DNP programs. The DNP programs emphasize the use of evidence-based interventions to provide quality care.

Most of the Health Professions' Title VII and Title VIII PHS Act programs were reviewed as a unit in 2002 using the Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART) and was rated as Ineffective. This program was included in that assessment. See Summary of the Request.

Funding includes costs associated with grant reviews, processing of grants through the Grants Administration Tracking and Evaluation System (GATES) and HRSA’s electronic handbook, and follow-up performance reviews.

Funding History

Budget Request
The FY 2009 Budget does not request funding for this program. Less than 10 percent of students enrolled end up practicing in an underserved area and the number of these practitioners that are minorities is less than 5 percent. The President’s budget reduces funding for other health professional activities that have demonstrated no substantial impact of health professionals in underserved areas and directs resources to nursing programs that provide direct patient care in areas where nurses are critically needed through scholarship and loan repayment programs. Programs for the education of nursing faculty and advanced practice nurses who serve in rural and underserved areas may be assumed by sources other than the Federal government, such as, State and local governments, foundations, private sector endowments, and heath care organizations.

NA – Not Applicable

***Includes both full-time and part-time students

1/ Advanced Education Nursing Program output targets have been consolidated and include Nurse Practitioner and Nurse Midwifery Programs, Nurse Anesthetist Education Programs and Other Educational Programs.

2/ Traineeship Program targets have been consolidated and include the Nurse Anesthetist Traineeship Program and the Advanced Education Nursing Traineeship Program.