Nurse Support Program II (NSP II)
The Nurse Support Program (NSP) is funded by the
Health Services Cost Review
Commission (HSCRC)
and administered by Maryland Higher Education Commission. The
goal of NSP is to increase the number of bedside nurses in
Maryland hospitals. NSP I is hospital centered while NSP II
focuses on expanding the capacity to educate nurses through
nursing education programs at Maryland institutions.
The Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC) initiated
nurse education support funding (formerly titled the Nurse
Education Support Program or NESP) in 1986 through the
collaborative efforts of hospitals, payers, and nursing
representatives. Originally, the NESP focused on supporting
scholarships for college and hospital-based training of
Registered Nurses (RNs) and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs). In
July, 2001, the Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC)
implemented the first phase of the Nurse Support Program (NSP I)
to address the short and long-term issues of recruiting and
retaining nurses in Maryland hospitals. Hospitals were eligible
to receive the lesser of their budget request or up to 0.1% of
the hospital's gross patient revenue for the previous fiscal
year, to be provided through hospital rate adjustments, for
approved projects that address the individual needs of the
hospitals as they relate to nurse recruitment and retention.
The NSP I exposed the inability of nursing programs to accept
large numbers of students because of limited capacity due to
nursing faculty shortages. The shortage of qualified nursing
faculty was the fundamental obstacle to expanding the
enrollments in nursing programs, thereby exacerbating the
nursing shortage in future years. At its May 4, 2005, public
meeting, the HSCRC unanimously approved an increase of 0.1% of
regulated patient revenue for the use in expanding the pool of
nurses in the State by increasing the capacity of nursing
programs in Maryland. The NSP II funded the first projects for
educational institutions and faculty development in FY 2006. On
April 12, 2006, the HSCRC approved a one-year extension of the
NSP I in order to provide the opportunity for staff to continue
to evaluate and update the program. On April 11, 2007 the
Commission approved a five-year funding of NSP I. On July 11,
2012, NSP I was renewed for an additional 5 years. On March 7,
2012, HSCRC approved modifications to NSP II to include
increased doctoral education support for greater development of
new and existing nursing faculty.
Over the years, the Nurse Support Program, both NSP I and NSP II
(originally Nurse Education Support Program) has been expanded
to encourage new and innovative approaches to address the
challenges and demands facing the nursing and allied
professions. It has successfully met the needs of hospitals for
nursing professionals and schools of nursing for educational
capacity through faculty development to ensure qualified bedside
nurses for over 26 years.
NSP
Quick Guide
Competitive Institutional Grants are awarded annually with submission of grant proposals.
FY 2013 RFA for Competitive
Institutional Grants (PDF)
FY 2013 Competitive Institutional Grant
Awards (PDF)
Nurse Support Program II (PPT)
Reporting
Forms for Competitive Institutional Grants
Annual Report Template (DOC)
Project Amendment Form (DOC)
Annual Report Budget Summary (XLS)
Budget Amendment Form (XLS)
Final Report Template (DOC)
Final Report Budget Summary (XLS)
Statewide Initiatives
will be administered by MHEC using application processes.
Funding is available for:
Nurse Support Program II - The Hal and
Jo Cohen Graduate Nursing Faculty Scholarship and Living
Expenses Grant Information and Application
FY
2013 New Nursing Faculty Fellowships Information
FY 2013 Nursing Educator Doctoral Grants
(NEDG) for Practice and Dissertation Research
November 14, 2011,
our new address is 6
N. Liberty St., Baltimore, MD 21201 | Phone: (410)
767-3301 | Toll Free: (800) 974-0203
