Education and Training of the Rural Healthcare Workforce – Funding & Opportunities

Graduate Psychology Education Program Inactive
Grants to train doctoral health service psychology students, interns, and post-doctoral residents in integrated, interdisciplinary behavioral health. This includes opioid use and substance use in high-need and rural populations.

Nurse Education, Practice, Quality and Retention (NEPQR) - Workforce Expansion Program (WEP) Inactive
Funding to increase the nursing workforce in rural and underserved areas to address the critical shortage of nurses, specifically in acute and long-term care settings. The program aims to enhance nursing education and clinical practice to expand the workforce and improve retention.

American Indians Into Nursing Inactive
Grants to develop and maintain nursing education programs designed to recruit, retain, graduate, and increase the number of registered nurses, certified nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners who deliver healthcare services to American Indian/Alaska Native communities.

Primary Care Training and Enhancement: Physician Assistant Rural Training in Behavioral Health (PCTE-PARB) Program Inactive
Funding to train primary care physician assistants to prevent, identify, diagnose, treat, and refer services for behavioral health conditions. The program goal is to increase the number of trained physician assistants who choose to practice in rural areas after graduation.

Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program Inactive
Grants to educate and train the primary care and geriatrics workforces to provide age-friendly and dementia-friendly care in integrated geriatrics and primary care sites/delivery systems and maximize patient and family engagement to address care gaps and improve health outcomes for older adults. Proposals that benefit older adults in rural, tribal, or other medically underserved communities/populations are a priority.

Regional AIDS Education and Training Centers (AETCs) Inactive
Funding to operate an AIDS education and training center program that will train primary healthcare clinicians to improve healthcare and health outcomes for people living with HIV/AIDS. Centers must include training for providers serving minority, rural, and underserved populations.

Nurse Education, Practice, Quality and Retention Simulation Education Training Program Inactive
Funding to enhance nursing education and strengthen the nursing workforce through experiential learning opportunities, including the use of simulation-based technology. Funding should expand the capacity of nurses to advance the health of patients, families, and communities in rural or Medically Underserved Areas.

Health Careers Opportunity Program: The National HCOP Academies Inactive
Grants to increase and support opportunities for individuals from underserved backgrounds to enter and graduate from health professions programs. National Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP) Academies strengthen the health workforce pipeline in medically underserved and rural areas by providing both academic and social supports to students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Nurse Education, Practice, Quality and Retention (NEPQR)-Pathway to Registered Nurse Program (PRNP) Inactive
Funding to create a pathway from academic training to clinical practice through the creation and implementation of licensed practical nurse/licensed vocational nurse (LPN/LVN) to registered nurse (RN) bridge programs and employment of clinical nurse faculty. The focus is to provide training experiences in rural and underserved areas.

Advanced Nursing Education Nurse Practitioner Residency and Fellowship Program (ANE-NPRF) Inactive
Funding to support transition to practice through the establishment, expansion, and/or enhancement of existing community-based nurse practitioner residency and fellowship training programs that are accredited or in the accreditation process. Awardees must train postgraduate APRNs who will serve in primary care settings with a focus on improving access to quality healthcare for rural, urban, and tribal underserved populations.