Starving Students
Phil McPeck

Cover all bases when searching for scholarships, check that you qualify, and make sure submissions are error-free.

The millions of dollars the federal government is pouring into nursing education is boosting the number of RNs, but almost no amount of student financial aid can buy off the nursing shortage that this year is estimated at 125,000.

The centerpiece of federal efforts to buy down the shortage is the Nurse Reinvestment Act, passed by Congress in 2002. Under the Act, $5.5 million to $6 million has been allocated this year for the Nursing Scholarship Program. That’s an increase from $3.9 million in 2003, the program’s inaugural year.

But those millions of dollars are not future nurses’ best hope for offsetting the cost of a nursing degree and opening a lifetime of employment opportunities, says Bruce Baggett, who oversees the program through the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

Future nurses’ best hope lies in the financial aid offices of individual nursing schools, Baggett says, and that’s where he, as director of nursing scholarships for the Health Resources and Services Administration, advises students to go.

The Nurse Reinvestment Act’s Nursing Scholarship Program had 5,000 applicants in 2003. The $3.9 million awarded that year covered one to four years of degree study for 94 nursing students — an average of fewer than two per state — in a nation where the nursing shortage is projected to reach 213,500 by 2010 and more than 381,000 by 2015.

About 8,800 students applied last spring for the 2004 scholarships. Baggett says the $5.5 million or so that Congress authorized probably will finance 120 full-time undergraduate nursing students, covering their tuition, books, fees, and a monthly stipend, which now is $1,115.

Students not dissuaded by the long odds of obtaining Nursing Scholarship Program help should look for applications online in April at the HRSA website, Baggett says. The next batch of scholarships — how many depends on the appropriation by Congress — will be issued in September.

To have a shot, though, students must be among the most financially needy, with zero expected family contribution to their education, as determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Assistance, Baggett says.

The students also must meet other criteria, including a commitment to work in a critical-shortage facility for two years after graduation. Critical-shortage facilities are “everywhere,” Baggett says; hospitals, Indian Health Service and Native Hawaiian facilities, rural health clinics, nursing homes, home-health agencies, and hospice centers all qualify.

While about 1.3% of Nursing Scholarship Program applicants will prevail this year, a far greater percentage of students will successfully obtain federal nursing and non-nursing assistance through their schools, Baggett says. The schools accept applications and select recipients of aid for other Nurse Reinvestment Act undergraduate programs. These include —

• The Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students Program for those from low-income families or who come from an environment that inhibited learning
• The Nursing Student Loan Program of long-term, low-interest-rate loans
• Revolving loans from funds given to nursing schools, even decades ago, and now being repaid by recipients who became registered nurses

The Nurse Reinvestment Act also offers help — again based on financial need and funding by Congress — for RNs who graduate with a mountain of education debt, Baggett says. More than 600 nurses qualified in 2003 for the Nursing Education Loan Repayment Program. Through this program, the government repays 60% of certain loans in exchange for two years of service at underserved facilities, the same as required of Nursing Scholarship Program recipients. A third year of service can eliminate 25% more of education debt.

Beyond federal aid, and another reason Baggett advises students to make the financial aid office the first stop in evaluating a nursing program, are programs specific to schools.

For instance, the University of Texas at Austin offers its own need and merit nursing scholarships, such as the Edith Huck Turner Memorial Scholarship. It makes annual awards of $1,000 each to two University of Texas nursing students in memory of Turner, RN, the director of the Brackenridge Hospital School of Nursing for 21 years.

The university also participates in the Partnership in Nursing Education Program with the U.S. Army, granting full-tuition scholarships plus education expenses and a monthly stipend in exchange for students’ commitment to serve in the Army Nurse Corps after graduation.

Schools’ financial aid counselors also stay on top of scholarships and grants offered through professional organizations, foundations, and businesses.

Johnson & Johnson’s nursing promotion campaign, Discover Nursing features an Internet search engine to locate nursing scholarships, and offers a wealth of advice to students struggling to fulfill their dreams.

In applying for any and all aid, compete only for scholarships or grants for which you are certain you qualify, the campaign advises. “If you’re not sure, get in touch with the contact person.” Then, “Make your application stand out by defining yourself in a creative way and attaching strong letters of recommendation, if requested.”

Furthermore, “Make sure you follow the guidelines of the application closely,” including complete and accurate personal information and staying within the word limit on essays. Recognize, too, that neatness counts — which means flawless spelling and grammar, according to Discover Nursing authors.

Phil McPeck is a freelance writer. To comment on this story, send e-mail to editorca@nurseweek.com.