Nurses make up the largest group of healthcare providers and must be highly educated to meet the increasingly complex healthcare needs of Hawaiʻi’s people. In alignment with the Institute of Medicine’s recommendation that 80% of the nursing workforce be baccalaureate prepared or higher by 2020, the Center continues to support the APIN initiative. This initiative aligns with our mandate to implement strategies that recruit and retain nurses in the workforce.
This program began in 2012 when the Hawaiʻi Action Coalition received a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) grant. Through this program, academic, employer, and community stakeholders across the state gathered to identify, develop, and implement strategies to decrease barriers and facilitate academic progression for our nursing workforce. RWJF discontinued APIN in 2016, and local partners opted to sustain funding for this collaborative effort.