MidAmerica Nazarene University Awarded Scholarships for Accelerated Nursing Students

Scholarships funded through Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will present opportunties for more students in nursing programs

Olathe, Kan. -- MidAmerica Nazarene University’s School of Nursing and Health Science is pleased to announce that it has received funding to award ten scholarships from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation through the RWJF New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program. RWJF grants provided through this competitive program will be used for scholarships to maximize diversity and increase the number of students enrolled in MNU’s accelerated B.S.N. (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) program. This national initiative, launched by RWJF and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, aims to help alleviate the nation’s nursing shortage by expanding the pipeline of students in accelerated nursing programs.

MNU joins 51 other U.S. schools of nursing, including Duke, Johns Hopkins and Villanova, that were awarded the grant. The $100,000 award to MNU will assist 10 new students in earning a B.S.N. degree. Susan Larson, Ph.D., Dean of The School of Nursing and Health Science, says the increased funding will likely bring more students to MNU for a career change to nursing.

“Our applicants are seeking a career that is more recession proof and allows reliable, flexible employment,” she states. “Our nearly 20-year track record with accelerated nursing education provides students with an experienced and reliable option.”

Larson says students from business, counseling and technology backgrounds are moving into nursing. And the summer 2009 enrollment in the accelerated nursing program at MNU is 40% minority and 20% male--double the national average in the field of nursing.

Scholarships will be awarded to students beginning their accelerated BSN program in May, 2010. Eligible students must have a previous bachelor’s degree in a field other than nursing. Each recipient will receive a scholarship of $10,000 to be used in full for tuition, books, and living expenses.

Through the RWJF New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program, scholarships in the amount of $10,000 each will be distributed to entry-level nursing students in accelerated programs during the 2009–10 academic year. Award preference is given to students from groups underrepresented in nursing or from disadvantaged backgrounds. Grant funding also will be used by the schools to help increase support for new faculty resources, and provide mentoring and leadership development resources to ensure successful program completion by scholarship recipients.

“New Careers in Nursing aims to safeguard the health of the nation by helping to ease the nurse and nurse faculty shortage,” says RWJF Senior Adviser for Nursing Susan B. Hassmiller, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N. “Nurses are critical to delivering health care that is effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient and equitable. This important initiative will also advance the Foundation’s strategic goal of promoting a health professional workforce that reflects the diversity of the American public.”

The RWJF New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program supports accelerated programs, which offer the most efficient route to licensure as a registered nurse for adults who have already completed a baccalaureate or graduate degree in a discipline other than nursing. Although enrollment in these programs has steadily increased over the past few years, many potential students are unable to enroll because having a college degree disqualifies them from receiving most federal financial aid programs for entry-level students. The New Careers in Nursing scholarships address this problem, and will also alleviate the overall nursing shortage, by enabling hundreds of students to launch their nursing careers through accelerated education not otherwise possible without scholarships.

Additionally, the program targets the need to recruit students from groups underrepresented in nursing or disadvantaged backgrounds. According to the National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice, diversifying the nursing profession is essential to meeting the healthcare needs of the nation and reducing health disparities that exist among many under served populations. Data from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration also show that nurses entering the profession at the baccalaureate level are four times more likely than other nurses to pursue a graduate degree in nursing, which is the required credential to teach. Consequently, bringing more nurses into the profession at the baccalaureate and master’s degree levels will help to address the nation’s nurse faculty shortage.

Students will be carefully selected for scholarship awards based upon several important factors:

Diversity for the nursing profession, which includes male gender as well as diverse ethnicity
Financial need
Academic success

MNU hopes to increase enrollment in the accelerated nursing program, as well as provide the means to help retain students for program completion.

“An additional goal for MNU is to develop leadership potential within these scholarship recipients. RWJF scholars will be provided various mentoring opportunities with seasoned nursing faculty for the purpose of program success and leadership development,” Larson states.

AACN serves as the National Program Office for this RWJF initiative and oversees the grant application submission and review processes. For more information about this program, see http://www.newcareersinnursing.org.

MidAmerica Nazarene University is a private, liberal arts university offering more than 40 undergraduate degrees and adult degree completion, as well as five professional graduate degrees in business, education, and counseling. MNU is located on a 105-acre campus in Olathe, Kan., and recently opened a location in Liberty, Mo., for adult and graduate programs including the RN-BSN program. MNU is the home to Bell Cultural Events Center, Olathe’s premiere venue for fine arts performances.

-30-

General Information: www.mnu.edu

Nursing Programs: www.mnu.edu/academics/nursing

Photos are available. Interviews and photos scheduled on request.