[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 192 (Wednesday, October 2, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51459-51460]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-25195]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Final Project Requirements, Review Criteria, and Funding
Preference for Regional Nursing Partnerships to Provide Continuing
Education in Nursing Informatics for Faculty in Medically Underserved
Communities
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announces
the final project requirements, review criteria and funding preference
for the Cooperative Agreements for Regional Nursing Partnerships to
Provide Continuing Education in Nursing Informatics for Faculty in
Medically Underserved Communities. These cooperative agreements will be
funded for one year under the Public Health Service Act, as amended by
Nurse Education and Practice Improvement Amendments of 1992, Title II,
Public Law 102-408, dated October 13, 1992, Section 820 (c), Continuing
Education for Nurses in Medically Underserved Communities.
Purpose
The purpose of the cooperative agreements is to support the
formation of partnerships between recognized regional nursing
organizations and nursing entities qualified to provide continuing
education in nursing informatics for nursing faculty in schools located
in, or preparing students to serve in, medically underserved
communities. Nursing informatics is defined as the integration of
nursing science, computer science, and information science applied to
the identification, collection, analysis, and management of data for
nursing education, practice, and research. Increasing the number of
nurses in the workforce who are knowledgeable about nursing
informatics, especially those practicing in underserved or rural
communities, will enhance clinical proficiency and improve access to
and quality of health care for increasing numbers in the population.
For the purpose of these cooperative agreements, regional nursing
organizations are those regionally based nursing organizations whose
members must include schools of nursing in institutions of higher
education located within the designated region, and whose members may
also include health care agencies and other health care entities.
The program announcement, published in the Federal Register at 61
FR 37072, dated July 16, 1996, proposed project requirements, review
criteria and funding preference. There was a 30 day comment period.
Comments on program aspects that were not specifically proposed for
public comment are not addressed in this notice.
One comment was received concerning the project requirement for the
nursing informatics continuing education program to be completed in a
one-week, 30-36 hour session, that includes a computer lab practicum.
The comment statement suggested that more suitable continuing education
methodologies would include either delivering the entire course via the
Internet, to be completed at each participant's own pace; or sponsoring
student traineeships to attend graduate nursing informatics programs.
Neither suggestion attends to the programmatic purpose of establishing
partnerships between regional nursing organizations and nursing
entities qualified to provide continuing education in nursing
informatics for nursing faculty in schools located in, or preparing
students to serve in, medically underserved communities. Therefore, the
following project requirements; review criteria, and funding preference
remain as proposed.
[[Page 51460]]
Eligibility and Final Funding Preference
Eligible applicants include public and non-profit entities. A
funding preference is defined as the funding of a specific category or
group of approved applications ahead of other categories or groups of
approved applications in a discretionary program. A funding preference
will be given to recognized regional nursing organizations who enter
partnerships with nursing entities experienced in teaching nursing
informatics. These entities may include, but are not limited to,
schools of nursing. The partner providing the nursing informatics
expertise must be located within the recognized regional nursing
organization's designated region. It is highly unlikely that any
applicant not meeting the funding preference will be supported under
this cooperative agreement.
Final Project Requirements
1. Develop a formalized partnership between the regional nursing
organization and nursing entities qualified to provide continuing
education in nursing informatics.
2. Establish an Advisory Board to oversee the development,
administration, and evaluation of the project. The Advisory Board must
include at least one non-academically based nurse practicing in a
medically underserved community.
3. Utilize an existing assessment of undergraduate and graduate
nursing programs within the region to determine:
(a) the availability of computer-based systems;
(b) faculty knowledge, skills, and abilities in the use of
computer-based systems; and
(c) the ability of faculty to prepare students for practice in
technologically advanced practice environments.
4. Based on analysis of the assessment in #3, develop and implement
four regionally-based nursing informatics continuing education programs
during the 1997 academic year. Each continuing education program must
be designed to:
(a) enhance faculty knowledge, skills, and abilities in nursing
informatics in the areas of computer technology; human factors;
information and database management; professional practice, trends, and
issues; system analysis and design; system implementation and support;
system testing and evaluation; and theoretical frameworks;
(b) include a computer lab practicum;
(c) be completed in a one-week, 30-36 hour session;
(d) be provided in two or more different geographic locations to
facilitate participation by faculty from distant areas within the
region;
(e) enroll a minimum of 14 nursing faculty from schools of nursing
located in or experienced in preparing nurses to serve in medically
underserved communities;
(f) provide participants a syllabus and reading materials prior to
the session; and
(b) award continuing education credit in nursing informatics.
6. Project must be documented in a format to facilitate replication
by other organizations.
Final Review Criteria
The review of applications will take into consideration the
following criteria:
1. The need for the proposed project.
2. The potential effectiveness of the proposed project in carrying
out the stated purpose.
3. The administrative and managerial capability of the applicant to
carry out the proposed project.
4. The efficacy of the proposed partnership.
5. The adequacy of the facilities and resources available to the
applicant to carry out the proposed project.
6. The qualifications of the project director and proposed staff.
7. The feasibility of the proposed budget in relation to the
proposed project.
8. The potential of the project to continue on a self-sustaining
basis after the period of Federal support.
If additional programmatic information is needed, please contact
Meribeth Reed, PhD, RN, Division of Nursing, Bureau of Health
Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration, Parklawn
Building, Room 9-35, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20857. Dr.
Reed may be reached by telephone at (301) 443-5763, by fax at (301)
443-8586, or by e-mail at: (mreed@hrsa.ssw.dhhs.gov).
This program is not subject to the provisions of Executive Order
12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs (as implemented
through 45 CFR part 100). This program is also not subject to the
Public Health System Reporting Requirements.
Dated: September 26, 1996.
Ciro V. Sumaya,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 96-25195 Filed 10-1-96; 8:45 am]
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