SBU School Of Nursing Receives Top Grant To Grow Accelerated Degree Program, Diversify Student Body
Scholarships funded by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation New Careers in Nursing Program
STONY BROOK, N.Y., August 31, 2009 – For the second year in
a row, the Stony Brook University School of Nursing received funding from the Robert Wood Johnson F
oundation’s (RWJF) “New Careers in Nursing” Scholarship Program to build upon Stony Brook’s efforts to increase the number of students enrolled in its one-year accelerated nursing pro
gram and diversify the student base. The School received $100,000 (10 scholarships, $10,000 per student) for its 2010 Accelerated Bachelor of Science Degree Program, which begins in June 2010.
The Accelerated Bachelor of Science Degree Program at the SBU School of Nursing was created in the 1990s to prepare students who already have undergraduate degrees in other fields for the nursing profession. The program was developed at Stony Brook in response to a growing national nursing shortage with the idea to pipeline well-educated individuals into the healthcare environment. Students carry degrees and experience in other fields, such as business, finance, accounting, and various sciences.
“This grant enables us to further our School’s mission to provide affordable nursing education at a high level of training, and to offer qualified individuals from underrepresented groups an entry into the field of nursing,” says Lori Escallier, Ph.D., R.N., C.P.N.P., Clinical Professor and Director of Grant Development and Management, School of Nursing.
Dr. Escallier says the School will provide individualized mentorship and leadership development for scholarship recipients. The expansion of the program, she adds, will also help leverage the School’s efforts to develop future nursing faculty through the opportunity for seamless education within Nursing, progressing from the registered nurse (R.N.) accelerated baccalaureate through the School’s doctor of nursing practice program.
In 2008, RWJF and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) launched the New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program to dramatically increase the enrollment of students nationwide in accelerated nursing programs. RWJF states that accelerated programs offer the most efficient route to licensure as a R.N. for adults who have already completed a baccalaureate or graduate degree in a discipline other than nursing.
Individuals with other college degrees disqualify them from receiving most federal financial aid programs for entry-level nursing education. Therefore, the New Careers in Nursing scholarships address this problem, making it easier for potentially hundreds of students to start their careers in nursing.
The program targets the need to recruit students from groups underrepresented in nursing or from 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 dispartities that exist among many underserved populations.
The Stony Brook University School of Nursing holds the highest accreditation in Nursing through The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Students are taught primarily within the School of Nursing and SBU’s Health Sciences Center. The School offers three degree programs: a bachelor of science, a master of science and a doctor of nursing practice degree. All students have the opportunity to gain clinical proficiency at Stony Brook University Medical Center, Long Island’s only academic medical center and the region’s only tertiary care center and Level I Trauma Center.
Caption:
Some of the 2009 Stony Brook University School of Nursing students who received funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s “New Careers in Nursing” Scholarship Program assemble with Lori Escallier, Ph.D., R.N., C.P.N.P., Clinical Professor and Director of Grant Development and Management, School of Nursing (in center).
