Wake AHEC

NC Nursing Initiatives - Allocation of State Funds

Clinical Site Development
Each year, the NC AHEC Program accepts proposals for funding from eligible schools of nursing within the NC Community College System, the constituent institutions of the UNC System, and the NC Independent Colleges and Universities to develop new clinical training sites for nursing students. Accepted proposals may receive up to $20,000.00 per AHEC fiscal year. July 1- June 30.

The expansion of the number of quality clinical training sites and the number of students using each site is imperative to meet the increase in student enrollments. This initiative aligns with the Institute of Medicine Report on The Future of Nursing 2030 and NC Institute of Medicine’s Time for Action.

Funding for proposals are focused on the following areas:

  • Special needs, including behavioral health, primary care, women’s health, public health, long-term care, and nursing education.
  • Student learning experiences that highlight nursing’s role in community health.
  • Clinical sites that engage with at-risk populations in rural and underserved communities.
  • Interprofessional experiences that promote learning among students from various professions. 
  • Opportunities to help the school expand enrollment capacity.

Each nursing program may submit one application for a single clinical site. Proposals should benefit both the nursing program and the clinical agency, and funds may cover educational materials and supplies, teaching tools/equipment, faculty salaries, and faculty travel to the clinical site for development. The call for proposals is issued in January of each year.

Regional AHEC Preceptor Development Partnerships
Regional AHECs may be funded up to $1,000 for the development of preceptors at an accompanying Clinical Site Development proposal. For more information, contact
Kathy Clark at kgclark@wakeahec.org.  

NC AHEC Education Mobility (EM):
Interested in returning to school for BSN, MSN, PhD or DNP? Current workforce data suggest that the need for advanced practice nurses will continue to increase over the next decade. 

Regionally Increasing Baccalaureate Nurses Project (RIBN)
The goal of the RIBN project is to increase the proportion of nurses with a baccalaureate or higher degree to 80% by 2025.  Educational partnerships between community colleges and universities dually enrolls students in a seamless four-year nursing curriculum.  More information can be found on the Foundation for Nursing Excellence site. You may also refer to the listing of schools with RN-to-BSN programs on the NC Board of Nursing site.  In support of the RIBN project, NC AHEC has funded the Connect for Success program through Wake AHEC. 

To view a video about the RIBN initiative, see A Win-Win for Healthcare in North Carolina: The RIBN Project by Kathryn “Ginger” Ward-Presson .