Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Grant is Administered by the Foundation of New York State Nurses to Create a More Highly Educated Nursing Workforce

A two-year, $300,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) will promote replication throughout New York state of the Dual Degree Partnership in Nursing (DDPN) program, a successful collaboration between Le Moyne College and St. Joseph’s College of Nursing. The Foundation of New York State Nurses will target funds from the RWJF grant to support the New York State Future of Nursing Action Coalition’s efforts to help current and future registered nurses (RNs) to advance their academic nursing preparation in order to improve patient care and help fill faculty and advanced practice nursing roles. 

New York is one of only nine states in the nation to receive grants through the RWJF Academic Progression in Nursing (APIN) program. APIN, which is run by the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE), advances state and regional strategies aimed at creating a more highly educated, diverse workforce. 

“The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has established a goal of having 80 percent of RNs prepared with a bachelor’s degree by 2020,” stated Cathryne A. Welch, EdD, RN, New York State Future of Nursing Action Coalition co-lead, citing the IOM’s “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health” 2010 report. 

Known as the Dual Degree Partnership in Nursing (DDPN), the associate degree program at St. Joseph’s College of Nursing and the upper-division bachelor of science (BS) degree program in the Department of Nursing at Le Moyne College allows high school graduates to earn both associate and bachelor’s degrees in nursing in four years and to sit for the national nursing licensing exam after just three years. 

“Little did we know when we began the implementation of the Dual Degree Partnership in 2005 that it would not only be successful, but that it would be so timely in contributing to the IOM’s recommendation of 80 percent of nurses being BS prepared by 2020,” said Marianne Markowitz, MS, RN, dean of St. Joseph’s College of Nursing.

“We are thrilled that New York has been selected as one of the recipients of this prestigious grant,” said Susan Bastable, EdD, RN, chair of the nursing program at Le Moyne. “The unique Dual Degree Partnership in Nursing model that Le Moyne College has developed, in conjunction with St. Joseph’s College of Nursing, will be an integral component of the work that stems from this grant. We are excited to be playing a lead role in the future of nursing education in New York as part of this initiative.” 

Since its inception, other nursing programs across the state have begun or are interested in replicating the St. Joseph’s and Le Moyne College model. The RWJF grant will increase the number of RNs pursuing bachelor’s degrees in currently established partnerships as well as expand the number of partnerships. 

“This grant will enable the originators of the DDPN model to establish an educational collaborative with colleges and their practice partners to further implement this model across the state,” said Robert O’Connell, MSW, New York State Future of Nursing Action Coalition co-lead. “With a more than 70 percent completion rate, higher than any known reported RN to BS model being utilized in the country, increasing the number of partners will significantly contribute to New York’s effort to achieve the IOM’s goal.” 

Le Moyne College and St. Joseph’s College of Nursing will host an all-day inaugural Summit meeting on Mon., Oct. 22, at St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center. New partner schools in the New York State Nursing Education Collaborative (NYSNEC), which was established to support the grant initiatives, will be welcomed and oriented.