Montana State University receives grant to support nursing graduates in rural health care systems

BOZEMAN - Montana State University's Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing and the Montana State University Alumni Foundation recently received a Blue Impact Grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana.

The $43,685 grant, awarded in August, will help the nursing college collaborate with clinical agencies in rural areas to develop a post-graduate transition-to-practice program for advanced practice registered nurses who want to bolster rural health care systems.

"Montana's rural nurses and advanced practice clinicians are the lifelines of their communities - often the first and only point of care when minutes truly matter," said Sarah Shannon, dean of MSU's nursing college. "Through the Blue Impact partnership, we can better understand their unique needs and design a transition-to-practice program that prepares APRNs to deliver confident, high-quality and life-saving care where it's needed most."

Facilitated by the funding, MSU nursing college faculty started conducting a thorough needs assessment of rural health care providers and clinics in September. The preliminary work has involved a review of current rural-specific curricula offered at MSU and nationally, which is informing the survey in development that will serve as the primary data collection method for the needs assessment. Faculty plan to distribute the surveys in early 2026 and complete data collection by March 2026. Drawing on the survey results, faculty will propose best practices for a transition-to-practice post-graduate program supporting APRNs - including nurse practitioners and nurse midwives - in providing specialized care for rural communities.

The key MSU players doing the work are Marg Hammersla, graduate department head and assistant professor of nursing; Stacy Stellflug, associate professor of nursing and principal investigator on the rural nurse practitioner scholars grant; and Kailyn Mock, director of the Montana Office of Rural Health and Area Health Education Center.

Fran Albrecht, CEO and president of the MSU Alumni Foundation, said the foundation is deeply grateful for Blue Impact grant's support of the nursing college.

"Thanks to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana, this support benefits our nursing students - preparing them to serve rural communities across the state and helping to ensure that Montanans have access to quality health care," Albrecht said.

The Blue Impact grant initiative is part of an ongoing commitment from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana to invest in community organizations that address the social and economic factors impacting health and wellness across the state.

Shannon explained that developing programs specific to rural areas and populations is important because such areas can have fewer resources, a lack of specialty care and physical distance from urgent or emergency care compared to urban settings. Additionally, many of these health care systems are in agricultural settings, where traumatic injuries on farms and ranches are relatively common. Providers in this area need to be able to provide emergency lifesaving care to their populations, often while awaiting transportation to a hospital that can provide a greater level of care, she said.

Lisa Kelley, president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana, said the organization is committed to strengthening the health of Montana communities, especially in rural areas.

"By supporting MSU's efforts to prepare advanced practice registered nurses for the unique realities of rural health care, we're investing in solutions that will make a meaningful difference for Montanans across the state," Kelley said. "We are proud to partner with MSU in building a stronger, healthier Montana."