The Orvis School of Nursing has received a $3 million grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to prepare nursing students to serve rural and frontier communities across Nevada.
The four-year award, which runs through August 2030, will establish the Nevada Rural Nurse Scholars Program and expand rural nursing education through the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program at the ҹɫÊÓƵ Lake Tahoe campus.
Beginning in January 2027, the inaugural cohort of 16 students will enter the BSN Lake Tahoe campus track as Nevada Rural Nurse Scholars and participate in enhanced rural and community-based learning experiences designed to prepare nurses for practice in Nevada's underserved communities. Approximately 96 students are expected to graduate during the four-year grant period, helping strengthen the state’s rural health care workforce.
"Nevada's rural communities don't need more reports about the nursing shortage. They need nurses."
Charles Yingling, DNP, dean of the Orvis School of Nursing, is the principal investigator on the award.
"This program was built around what those communities actually need from a nurse. Rural practice is demanding, rewarding and different from anything a traditional hospital clinical placement can prepare you for. We're going to change that, starting at Lake Tahoe." 
Preparing nurses for rural communities
The Nevada Rural Nurse Scholars Program will build on the BSN at the Lake Tahoe campus curriculum by giving students additional opportunities to connect classroom learning with rural health care. The HRSA grant will also provide BSN Tahoe students with a $1,000 housing and meal stipend per semester to help offset the cost of living at the Lake Tahoe campus.
Each student in the BSN Lake Tahoe campus track will complete 100 or more additional experiential learning hours focused on rural health care settings. Students will have opportunities to learn alongside rural health care providers, engage with the communities they serve and develop a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities that come with practicing in rural settings.
An $80,000 subaward to Carson Valley Health will support students pursuing rural nursing careers and strengthen the preparation of clinical preceptors who mentor nursing students.
Julie Sawyer, DNP, is the BSN Lake Tahoe track leader and project coordinator for the initiative supported by the award.
“I’ve spent my career in two worlds, the classroom and rural emergency departments. Rural nurses wear a lot of hats. They may be the emergency nurse, the care coordinator, the patient educator and sometimes the only healthcare professional a patient has seen in months. That takes adaptability, confidence and a broad set of clinical skills.
"I’m incredibly proud of what we’re building here at Lake Tahoe, and this funding gives us the opportunity to expand what we can offer our students and the communities they’ll serve.”
"We’ve built this program to prepare students for the realities of rural practice from the very beginning, not simply hand them a diploma and hope they’re ready."
Supporting students and educators
The grant will support standardized patients, faculty development and expanded simulation experiences, including virtual reality technology, giving students additional opportunities to develop clinical skills in a controlled learning environment. Students will also have the opportunity to attend rural nursing conferences.
In addition to expanding students’ clinical experiences, the HRSA grant will provide resources to support student well-being and strengthen the educators and clinical partners who help prepare them. A dedicated wellness coordinator will provide resources and strategies to help prevent burnout.
The grant will also support development of a Rural and Community-Based Nursing Preceptor Microcredential. The microcredential will help prepare clinical preceptors to support nursing students during rural and community-based learning experiences.
Haley McNeil, MSN, R.N., CHSE, director of Simulation, will support the expansion of simulation technology and experiential learning opportunities through the grant.
“This funding allows us to make our simulation curriculum even more intentional around the realities of rural practice. Through simulation, we can expose students to the unique needs and challenges of rural healthcare in ways that are directly connected to the communities they may go on to serve.
”Together, these efforts will give students a more connected learning experience, moving from classroom instruction and simulation to clinical practice and community-based care.
Strengthening Nevada’s rural nursing workforce
Nevada ranks 45th nationally in registered nurses per capita, and the shortage is even more pronounced in the state's rural and frontier communities. The Nevada Rural Nurse Scholars Program is designed to help address that need by expanding rural nursing education and strengthening partnerships between the Orvis School of Nursing and healthcare organizations across Nevada.
Through expanded clinical experiences, community-based learning and support from rural healthcare partners, the HRSA grant will help build a pipeline of nurses prepared to serve Nevada's rural and frontier communities. By connecting nursing education with the healthcare organizations and communities that need providers most, the program reflects The Wolf Pack Way and strengthens access to care across Nevada.
