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School of Nursing Explores the Nation's Nursing Shortage

Johnson Foundation funds effort

The Duke School of Nursing is among the first in the nation to receive a grant through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program to support scholarships that address the nation's nursing shortage by expanding the pipeline of students in accelerated nursing programs, targeting the need to recruit students from groups underrepresented in nursing or disadvantaged backgrounds and alleviating the nation's nurse faculty shortage.

Grant funding will provide seven $10,000 scholarships and will also help leverage new faculty resources and provide mentoring and leadership development resources for scholarship recipients. "This program aims to safeguard the health of the nation by helping to ease the nurse and nurse faculty shortage," said RWJF President Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey. "This new initiative also will advance our strategic goal of promoting leadership in the health professions."

RWJF specifically supports accelerated programs, which offer the most efficient route to licensure for adults with baccalaureate or graduate degrees, who are often disqualified from federal financial aid programs. The Duke School of Nursing offers an Accelerated BSN curriculum as a second degree program, with an additional focus on 21st century healthcare needs and environment. Students enjoy clinical experience opportunities throughout the Duke University Health System, and graduates of the program are well-prepared to successfully complete the national exam.

By bringing more nurses into the profession at the baccalaureate and master's degree levels, the Program addresses the nation's nurse faculty shortage -- data shows that nurses entering 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.

The Program also targets underrepresented or disadvantaged students, which is important for meeting the health care needs of the nation and reducing health disparities among many underserved populations. Duke School of Nursing's Broadening the Community scholarship program is part of this effort.

For more information about the shortage statistics, see http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Media/FactSheets/NursingShortage.htm.

For more information about this program, see http://www.newcareersinnursing.org.