Newswise — The National Education Progression in Nursing Collaborative (NEPIN) has been awarded a $150,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to accelerate educational advancement for nurses across the United States. NEPIN’s diverse stakeholders have joined for the purpose of advancing nurses to higher degrees. With a mission of fostering collaboration to ensure that nurses have access to higher levels of education and achievement, the vision of NEPIN is a diverse nursing workforce that optimizes the health of all Americans.

“This effort will do much to help us work toward our 2020 goal of having at least 80% of our nursing workforce at the baccalaureate level. It is time for all hands on deck, including schools of nursing, accreditors, state boards of nursing, employers, and nurses themselves.  This is just the collaborative needed to get us to our goal” says Dr. Susan Hassmiller, Senior Adviser for Nursing at RWJF.

Tina Lear, National Program Director for NEPIN, added “Promoting the nursing profession and continued education are essential to improving patient experience and outcomes.  Everyone wins when opportunities to continue learning, growing, and achieving are made available.  Through the work of NEPIN, we will not only ensure that nurses are able and encouraged to continue achieving their goals, but we are also ensuring that Americans have access to the best care possible.”

Through the creation of a comprehensive national resource, dissemination of data, expansion of alliances, and promotion of successful methods, NEPIN will broaden and build on the previous work of the APIN (Academic Progression in Nursing) initiative that concluded earlier this year.  The Leadership Team states, “Nurses, employers and educators are coming together in this new initiative with increased energy focusing on nurse advancement and achievement across the entire United States.  We are excited to have the support of RWJF as we continue moving forward.”

The Organization for Associate Degree Nursing Foundation will serve as the fiduciary and convener for the collaborative.  Leadership of the initiative includes representatives from the National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers, Organization for Associate Degree Nursing, and Western Governors University.  If you would like more information or would like to be involved, contact Tina Lear at [email protected].  NEPIN’s website is currently under construction but will soon be available at www.nepincollaborative.org.  You can also follow us on Facebook @nepincollaborative.

About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

For more than 40 years the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has worked to improve health and health care. We are working with others to build a national Culture of Health enabling everyone in America to live longer, healthier lives. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org. Follow the Foundation on Twitter at www.rwjf.org/twitter or on Facebook at www.rwjf.org/facebook.