| NEWSRoom | Source: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation | |
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation New Careers in Nursing Program Awards Grants to 55 Schools of Nursing to Provide Scholarships for Students in Accelerated Degree Programs |
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The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has announced the schools of nursing that have been selected to participate in RJWF’s prestigious New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program (NCIN). During the 2012-2013 academic year, the schools will receive grants to support students in their accelerated baccalaureate and master’s degree nursing programs, who are traditionally underrepresented in the field of nursing and are pursuing a second career in nursing. The NCIN Scholarship Program was launched in 2008 by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) to expand enrollment in accelerated degree programs in schools of nursing while increasing diversity in the nursing workforce. “We need a well-educated, diverse nursing workforce to provide quality care for our changing patient population,” said David Krol, MD, MPH, FAAP, program officer for NCIN, RWJF senior program officer and team director of the RWJF Human Capital portfolio. “NCIN is strengthening nursing education and helping to fill the pipeline with capable, culturally competent nurses.” Schools receiving grants through NCIN provide scholarships directly to students from groups underrepresented in nursing or from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Students who receive the NCIN scholarships—in the amount of $10,000 each—have already earned a bachelor’s degree in another field, and are making a career switch to nursing through accelerated nursing degree programs. These programs prepare students to pass the licensure exam required for all registered nurses in as little as 12-18 months and provide quicker routes to workforce eligibility than traditional programs. Since 2008, the NCIN program has distributed 2,717 scholarships to students at more than 100 unique schools of nursing. This year, funding for 400 scholarships was granted to 55 schools of nursing. Students also receive other supports to help them meet the demands of an accelerated degree program. All NCIN grantee schools are required to maintain a mentoring program for their scholars, and many offer a pre-entry immersion program to help scholars learn study, test-taking and other skills that will aid them in managing the challenges of the program. “AACN is proud to collaborate with RWJF on this unique effort. NCIN scholars bring life experience that makes them exceptional, mature nursing candidates, and they represent the diverse, culturally-competent nursing workforce our nation needs,” said AACN President Jane Kirschling, DNS, RN, FAAN. “NCIN provides the scholarship and support these students need to succeed in school, and thrive in the workforce.” In this fifth year of the program, the following schools were awarded grants: Allen College Ashland University Bellarmine University Boston College California State University-Northridge College of Mount St. Joseph College of St. Scholastica Columbia University Coppin State University Creighton University DePaul University Duke University Duquesne University Edgewood College Fairleigh Dickinson University Georgia Health Sciences University Kent State University Linfield College Medical University of South Carolina MidAmerica Nazarene University Montana State University Mount St. Mary's College Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing and Allied Health New Mexico State University New York University Norfolk State University Oregon Health & Science University Quinnipiac University Rush University Medical Center Saint Louis University Samuel Merritt University Southern Connecticut State University Stony Brook University SUNY Downstate The George Washington University The University of Tennessee-Knoxville The University of Texas at El Paso Thomas Jefferson University University of California-UCLA University of Delaware University of Hawaii University of Maryland, Baltimore University of Massachusetts, Amherst University of Miami University of Michigan-Flint University of Mississippi Medical Center University of Missouri-Columbia University of Nebraska Medical Center University of Pennsylvania University of Rochester School of Nursing University of Tennessee Health Science Center University of Wyoming West Virginia University Winston-Salem State University Yale University The 2010 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, recommends increasing the proportion of nurses with a baccalaureate degree or higher, and increasing the diversity of students to create a workforce prepared to meet the demands of diverse populations across the lifespan. The mission of the NCIN program is helping to advance those recommendations, enabling schools to expand student capacity in higher education, and encouraging more diversity. By bringing more nurses into the profession at the baccalaureate and master’s degree levels, the NCIN program also helps to address the nation’s nurse faculty shortage. Data from the US Health Resources and Services Administration show that nurses entering the profession via baccalaureate programs are four times more likely than other nurses to pursue a graduate degree in nursing. This trend is reflected in the NCIN scholars, as 91% of the students receiving funding in the first three years of the program indicate a desire to advance their education to the master’s and doctoral levels. To find learn more about the NCIN program, visit www.newcareersinnursing.org. |
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