This award provides funding to Appalachian State University (App State) to support the launch its Doctor of Nursing Practice – Family Nurse Practitioner (DNP-FNP) program. App State is launching this program in response to North Carolina’s healthcare workforce shortage; there are currently over 1,300 FNP openings statewide and many more projected annually. Demand in rural areas is particularly acute and FNPs are more likely to work in rural areas than other primary care providers. The program is a 4-year, part-time, hybrid program that is expected to enroll 25 students annually beginning in 2026. Twenty students from the first cohort are expected to complete the program in May 2030. App State will recruit students from underserved areas of North Carolina. The university will outfit a learning lab for the program on its Hickory campus. The lab will also be available to students in the university’s BSN program to relieve space limitations at the university’s Boone campus. Golden LEAF funds will be used for simulation equipment, advanced clinical tools, and technology.
