Niagara University: $90,000 grant to continue work in fostering nurse resilience in WNY

Niagara University Press Release

Niagara University is honored to announce it has been selected as a 2024-25 grantee of the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation. The university received a $90,000 grant from the Cabrini Foundation to expand initiatives by its College of Nursing to foster nurse resilience, effectively bridge the transition from student to health care professional, and decrease turnover and departure from the nursing profession by improving personal wellness, retention and job satisfaction.

This is the fourth consecutive year the college has received support from the organization for its “Practice Innovations to Support a Resilient, Inclusive & Equitable Nurse Workforce” initiative.

The renewed funding will support the work of the college’s resilience and resource officer to upskill students and new and novice licensed registered nurses working in major health care facilities across Western New York. This year, the training will be expanded to include nurse leaders in the clinical setting, as well.

“Increasing awareness of the need for nurse wellness has been a tremendously successful initiative across academic and clinical settings since this project began,” said Dr. Christine Verni, dean of the college. “Niagara University has been able to partner with small and large health systems to introduce resilience and nurse wellness into onboarding curricula in both clinical practice and in our own classrooms, which has led to an increase in the satisfaction of nursing students, better workforce preparation, and a decrease in turnover in acute care institutions known to have difficulties retaining new nurses beyond their first year or two of service.”

Through the training, students and nurses learn ways to decrease the emotional burden associated with working with sick patients, varied personalities, long work shifts, and other factors known to increase anxiety and depression symptoms in this workforce population. The work has also been presented to nursing professionals across New York and the U.S., garnering significant interest in the training and its impact on nurses and the students with whom they interact.

The project builds upon the work started in 2022 with funding from the Cabrini Foundation to enhance technology in the College of Nursing’s simulation and skills labs, develop expanded certifications to create new pathways to the nursing and allied health professions, and facilitate high-impact training for community health instructors.

“The continued support from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation allows us to deepen our impact, expanding resilience training not only to nursing students and novice nurses, but also to nurse leaders, who play a pivotal role in shaping healthy work environments,” said Jessica Okoniewski, the College of Nursing’s resilience and resource officer. “Teaching resilience isn’t just about managing stress – it’s about empowering nurses to find balance, build supportive connections, and sustain the joy that brought them to nursing in the first place.”

Niagara’s College of Nursing offers a four-year Bachelor of Science degree, an accelerated B.S. in nursing, and an RN-BS completion program, which are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. It also offers a master’s degree in family nurse practitioner.

The college has longstanding relationships with regional health care partners, including Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, Catholic Health, and Kaleida Health, who train students and hire graduates into nursing roles upon program completion.