An increasing shortage of nurses is posing a great threat to the health care system nationwide and locally. Compounding the problem is the fact that nursing schools are struggling to expand enrollment levels to meet the rising demand for nursing care. In 2006, the GNYHA Foundation launched a program entitled, Bridging the Gap: Linking Clinical Practice to Academia, also known as the "Gap Program." The intent of this program is to develop a model that will alleviate the shortage of clinical nursing faculty, update the nursing curriculum to reflect the current challenges to the health care system, and provide experienced nurses with retraining opportunities.

The program will have two phases:

• Training of experienced nurses to be preceptors, and
• Development of a match program for nursing schools and hospitals.

Nurses who complete Phase 1 will then enter Phase 2, during which they will work through their individual hospitals to develop partnerships with academic nursing programs. In Phase 1 of the program, the GNYHA Foundation is replicating and expanding upon the Nursing Preceptor/Clinical Faculty Development Education Program that was successfully completed in 2004. Phase 1 is intended to expand enrollment in baccalaureate nursing programs by increasing the number of clinical adjunct faculty available to teach at nursing schools. GNYHA Foundation is collaborating with Lehman College of City University of New York to provide twelve college credits to a group of nurses that work in institutions in the New York City area. Examples of training modules include informatics, cultural competency and disparities in health care outcomes, coaching and mentoring skills, quality improvement and patient safety, and strategies for improving workforce performance.

The goal of Phase 2 is to expand the availability of clinical training sites for nursing students by forming partnerships. The objective of developing this "match program" is to provide students with the opportunity to train in a hospital where they may wish to work after graduation, allow students to train with nurses who are currently in clinical practice, expand the number of hours of clinical experience, and familiarize the students with current hospital protocols and information technology systems.

This program is supported by grants from the Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence and the New York State Department of Health.