Hospitals and doctor’s offices can be stressful places, and chances are you’ve encountered a nurse who guided you or a loved one through a lot of care before, during and after an appointment. In fact, you’ll often find nurses wearing many hats , including caretaker, health care provider and translator of complicated medical terms.
To recognize the many contributions that nurses make to our society, The Scholarship Coach is celebrating National Nurses Week, which began on May 6 and ends on May 12, marking Florence Nightingale’s birthday.
Nurses provide necessary care for patients of all ages, and they’re in high demand. The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce estimates 1.6 million job openings for nurses through 2020. The report includes factors like an aging population, retiring nurses and the expansion of health care in the U.S. as reasons for this boom.
[See the U.S. News 2016 Best Nursing Schools rankings.]
This makes obtaining the proper credentials and education even more crucial. To help address this growing demand, a number of organizations are providing generous awards to future nurses, including the following scholarship providers.
Five years ago, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Institute of Medicine published a report on the future of the nursing profession. One of their key recommendations was that “nurses should achieve higher levels of education and training through an improved education system that promotes seamless academic progression.”
It’s no surprise, then, that the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation also helped launch the New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program, an “intensive program” that provides scholarships to students enrolled in an accelerated bachelor’s or master’s degree nursing program. This fast track is meant for students who have a non-nursing undergrad major and are ready to make the leap into the nursing field.
[Check out this infographic of the 2016 Best Nursing Schools.]
Awards include $10,000 each for five to 30 students at accredited nursing schools. Note that schools apply for funding to implement the program, and that you have to apply directly at a school rather than on the New Careers in Nursing website.
Fortunately, with more than 50 partner schools across the country, there’s a good chance that one of the accelerated BSN or MSN degrees will pique your interest.
Another established program, the Tylenol Future Care Scholarship, awards students who want to pursue a health care career, including nursing. Factors for selection include academics, community involvement, leadership and a commitment to care for others.
These one-time scholarships vary in amount and include 30 awards worth $5,000 and 10 worth $10,000, along with several in smaller amounts. Undergraduate and graduate students can apply, so long as they have at least one more year of school remaining. The program just opened this week and applications close on June 30, so you don’t want to miss it.
[Learn how graduate education can give nurses a salary and career boost.]
If you’re already in the nursing field and need an extra boost to further your studies, check out the Together We Care Nurse Practitioner Scholarship Program, sponsored by CVS MinuteClinic and Johnson & Johnson.
It offers 30 nurse practitioner scholarships at $2,500 each, and five doctor of nursing practice scholarships at $5,000 each. Both opportunities require a higher education degree that culminates in licensure as an advanced practice registered nurse with a family nurse practitioner specialty or other special interest.
Depending on which award you’re interested in, be sure to refer to the website for full criteria. Each scholarship type comes with its own details on what makes a successful scholarship candidate. Applications close on May 29 or once 280 are received, so the sooner you can apply, the better.
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Aid Your Nursing Degree With These Generous Scholarships originally appeared on usnews.com