USDA DELTA HEALTH CARE SERVICE GRANT TO STUDY NURSING PROFESSION

Madisonville Community College is the recipient of the USDA Delta Health Care Service Grant. The primary goal and first objective of this grant is to deliver a resiliency and retention program to incumbent nurses. MCC will design and implement a nurse mentoring program with the purpose of fostering a positive workplace culture where nurses have a sense of belonging, feel supported in their professional role, and feel valued as a person.

Program Director, Sara Jane Jones, will work directly with hospital staff to deliver “train the trainer” instruction. In the future, the design and results of this program will be shared with other communities of interest in the Delta region. Jones states, “It is our hope that a mentoring program will create a ripple effect far beyond the arms of the program and provide needed support to enhance the resiliency of our healthcare workforce.” MCC will partner with Baptist Health Deaconess Madisonville, Owensboro Health Muhlenberg Community Hospital, Jennie Stuart Health, Caldwell Medical Center, and the West Area Health Education Center to implement this project.

A fraction of the grant will also benefit MCC’s simulation lab. MCC has one of three healthcare simulation programs in Kentucky that is accredited by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare and the only one accredited for interprofessional healthcare education.