In order to continue educating nursing majors who will eventually go into the field and help ease the state?s burdensome nursing shortage, the state needs more educators to train future nurses.
The UCA Department of Nursing was recently awarded a $27,728 grant to help encourage more students to consider the nurse education field.
The Nurse Faculty Loan program, underwritten by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will provide loans and scholarships that will assist full-time graduate students seeking to become nurse educators with tuition, fees and related expenses.
Upon graduation, individuals who have received a loan under this program have a unique option for repayment. Up to 85 percent of the loan may be forgiven if a graduate agrees to serve as a faculty member in a nursing education program.
“The Nursing Department is very excited about receiving this grant. To address the nursing shortage, we must educate more nurses – and that requires more faculty,? said Dr. Barbara Williams, chair of the UCA Department of Nursing. ?At UCA, we now have the ability for students to pool resources from several areas to innovatively finance their education.?
UCA currently offers financial assistance to individuals planning to become nursing faculty members through a state program enacted by the state Legislature in 2001. Funding through this state program offers up to $8,000 per year for full-time enrollment and $4,000 per year for part-time enrollment. After graduation, the loan is converted to a scholarship if the graduate assumes a nurse educator position in any nursing education program in Arkansas.
Graduate students also may apply for financial assistance through the Advanced Education Nurse Traineeship Program, which is available to qualified individuals enrolled full-time. This program provides stipends to assist students with educational-related expenses. The stipend amount varies each year, but can be as much as $8,000. There is no obligation for post graduation employment or repayment of these funds.
By combining funding from all three sources, a UCA nursing graduate student can now receive between $19,000 and $26,000 per year in financial assistance to become a nurse educator.
UCA established its graduate nursing program in 1971 and has since become a state leader in preparing nurse educators. UCA Provost Dr. Gabriel Esteban said, ?President Hardin and I are both committed to the preparation of nurse educators for the state of Arkansas. UCA will contribute additional funding to this program to ensure its success.?
