Harford Community College Awarded Two NSP II Grants

Harford Community College is pleased to announce that it has been awarded two Nurse Support Program II (NSP II) grants from the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC) and the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC). The grants will be used to fund additional professional education opportunities ($46,294) and to update simulation manikins ($150,000). Each grant is for a one-year period from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027.

Harford has received several NSP II grants that support continuing education for faculty and recognition of exceptional educators that have benefitted the College’s faculty and students alike.

The NSP II Professional Development grant will increase capacity for the College’s Nursing and Allied Health Division faculty. Focusing on revised pedagogy, updates to current technology and best practices for education, the project will enable faculty attendance at several notable conferences across the country. Attending these conferences will provide faculty the opportunity to update their technical and industry-related knowledge, bolstering their ability to prepare students for certification tests and practical application. Networking events that occur at conferences will increase the faculty retention rate and enable recruitment of candidates for open positions at Harford.

Additionally, the College was granted the NSP II Instructional Innovation Award, funding that will cover equipment purchases to enhance pediatric and medical-surgical nursing education. The grant will help purchase a high-fidelity Gaumard Pediatric HAL® simulation manikin and a Laerdal SimMan 3G Plus adult manikin. These resources will allow students to engage in realistic pediatric and adult simulations that involve medication administration, airway management, enteral feeding, emergency response, dosage calculations, assessment, communication, and family-centered care. The equipment also supports culturally-responsive education through improved diversity representation within simulation experiences.

Overall, the combined grants from NSP II will increase opportunities for Harford's nursing staff to update instructional resources for students, allowing the College to continue providing state-of-the-art healthcare education.