UofSC Nursing is addressing healthcare in rural areas with the ANEW Fellows program. In 2019 the College of Nursing received a $2.4 million four-year HRSA ANEW grant. The grant’s primary objective is to increase the number of family nurse practitioner students trained in rural, underserved areas in South Carolina. It also aims to increase diversity of the FNP student population and FNP workforce in South Carolina.

Congratulations to FNP/DNP student Rebecca Vincent on receiving an ANEW scholarship.

What is your current role?

Director of Pediatrics, McLeod Regional Medical Center, Florence, SC

Why did you decide to earn your advanced degree?

I chose to pursue an advanced degree to further my skills clinically, professionally, and academically.

Why did you apply for the ANEW grant?

Community health is a way to meet and serve people in their own environment. I reside in an extremely rural area, approximately thirty minutes from an acute care facility. The reality and importance of rural resources are essential and often lifesaving.

Though many emergency means exist, primary and preventative healthcare is often lacking in these areas. I am fascinated by community healthcare and the ways providers get to know a community of patients on a personal level. 

Why is rural healthcare important to you?

During my undergraduate experience, I did rotations at various hospitals. Some sites were in more rural areas and others in larger cities. The vast differences in culture, structure, and climate of the organizations were astonishing. To see two similar entities function in such different ways yet maintain a common goal of improving health was impressive.