Webster University was awarded $1.25 million in federal funds to increase the accessibility to its nationally ranked master’s programs in nursing and counseling, its Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia practice, and its bachelor’s programs in chemistry, biology, nursing and psychology. The funding was part of the $1.7 trillion funding bill passed by Congress and signed by President Biden on Friday.
Webster will use the funds to upgrade technology used by students who currently work in nursing or other STEM fields and are pursuing advanced degrees or are students in STEM programs who live in rural areas of Missouri. The government is helping fund the technological upgrades in order to address a critical shortage of nurses and employees with science backgrounds in the region.
The Missouri Economic Research Information Center (MERIC) forecasts that demand for those with training in health, physical and social science occupations in Missouri will increase by 6.3%. Healthcare practitioner and med-tech occupations are expected to increase by 13% overall, with the demand for registered nurses increasing by 16.2%, and nurse Anesthetist growing by 17.4%.Â
MERIC also forecasts that the demand for those with healthcare and social assistance training will grow by 16%, with psychiatric and substance abuse counseling expanding by 12.8%, and residential mental health facilities growing by 19.2%. Currently, the growth in employees with training in those subjects is far below the expected demand.
