Salisbury University nursing program receives grants
The Salisbury University Nursing Department received nearly $4 million from the Maryland Higher Education Commission to develop two new programs.
About $2 million will help create web-based leadership and communication toolkits for SU nursing students and practicing nurses at several hospitals on the Eastern Shore.
An additional $1.8 million will create an online Maryland nurse educator career portal to better connect potential instructors with the state’s nursing schools.
The five-year grants represented nearly a quarter of the $17 million awarded by MHEC as part of its Nurse Support Program during this annual funding period.
“This is absolutely tremendous because of the important work these grants will allow us to do,” said Dr. Karen Olmstead, SU interim provost. “I am proud of our Nursing Department faculty and the impact they are having on nursing education throughout the State of Maryland and nationally.”
The grants address current needs in nursing, according to Dr. Lisa Seldomridge, SU director of graduate and second-degree programs in nursing, and co-principal investigator for the grants.
“Toolkits to Enhance Communication” will help students develop leadership skills in areas including conflict management, working with diverse populations and advocacy through training and role-playing exercises at SU’s Richard A. Henson Medical Simulation Center, Seldomridge said.
The leadership toolkits also will be available to SU’s partner hospitals, including Peninsula Regional Medical Center, Atlantic General Hospital, and University of Maryland Shore Regional Health centers in Cambridge, Easton and Chestertown.
