(Taken from application abstract): The primary goal of the Health Information Access Project for Rural Nurse Practitioners is to facilitate health science information access for nurse practitioner students enrolled in Minnesota graduate nurse practitioner education programs and residing in rural, medically under served Minnesota communities. Through electronic access to health science data bases and provision of health science documents to these students, distance barriers to nurse practitioner education programs will be minimized contributing to the number of new nurse practitioners providing primary health care services in rural, medically under served communities in Minnesota. Secondly, nurse practitioner clinical education sites located in designated high priority areas of Minnesota which are under served will also be provided electronic access to health science data bases to assist in the clinical education of nurse practitioner students and utilize current health science information in the care of clients. Under the leadership of the University of Minnesota Bio-Medical Library and the Collaborative Rural Nurse Practitioner Project, the libraries associated with the five graduate nurse practitioner programs will enter into a collaborative relationship to assist rural nurse practitioner students in obtaining access to science information using on-line technology and obtaining health science documents. Students and selected rural clinical education sites will be provided computer hardware and software enabling them to obtain access to the Internet for health science data base searches and other health science information. In addition, students and clinical education sites will be provided educational programs and materials providing instruction on how to use the on-line technology and conduct database searches; technical assistance for on-line technology; and delivery of health science documents for educational and clinical purposes.
