The University of South Dakota Department of Nursing received $3 million to assist in training more nurses.
The funding comes from the United States Department of Labor and is part of an initiative to give $78 million in grants to support workforce training programs.
USD will use this money to address the ongoing nursing shortage, according to a press release from the university. They plan to collaborate with regional health centers, small community clinics and professional networks to improve the nursing workforce pipelines.
The grant money will also go towards nursing scholarships for students who agree to work in South Dakota.
“Training additional nurses is not enough,” Anne Pithan, the chair of the Department of Nursing, said. “Solving this shortage will require both nursing academics and practice to collaborate to create innovative solutions to address this issue. We will work with practice partners, regulatory agencies, regional health centers, networks of small hospitals and community clinics, professional organizations, professional nursing networks and behavioral health partners to make this happen."
USD said they hope this will help South Dakota meet the nursing workforce needs.
