The School of Nursing and Health Professions will receive a grant from the Missouri Department of Higher Education to increase capacity and better meet the healthcare workforce needs of the region through a partnership with Mosaic Life Care and others.
The state budget signed by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson includes $557,744 for Missouri Western through MDHE’s MoExcels workforce initiative. The funding will be matched locally with donations from Mosaic Life Care, Mosaic Auxiliary, the Heartland Foundation and the Missouri Western State University Foundation. The initiative will allow the School of Nursing and Health Professions to establish a Center of Excellence in Applied Health Care Learning, expand classroom size and simulation laboratory space, enhance technology in the labs and promote job exploration opportunities to high school and college students who may be interested in the healthcare field.
The partnership will increase the number of graduates receiving a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Missouri Western by 15 percent. It will also increase intended majors in all health-related fields by 5 percent and increase Master of Science in Nursing admissions by 10 percent.
The Center of Excellence in Applied Health Care Learning, or CEAHL, will allow Missouri Western to expand partnerships with regional health care providers for clinical education, ensuring that Missouri Western’s education and training programs are responsive to current and future workforce needs.
The laboratory expansion will not only benefit Missouri Western students. The state-of-the-art simulation lab will also be available for community use, to provide education and job exploration opportunities to visiting high school students and employees of community partners.
The School of Nursing and Health Professions offers undergraduate and graduate programs in nursing as well as undergraduate programs in health information management, physical therapist assistant and population health management.