Pace University’s Lienhard School of Nursing Awarded Scholarships through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Pace University’s Lienhard School of Nursing in the College of Health Professions has been selected for the third time as a grant recipient of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program (NCIN). The Lienhard School of Nursing received $50,000 for the 2013-2014 academic year to support students in the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program who are underrepresented in the field of nursing and are pursuing second careers. Five students entering Lienhard’s accelerated degree program in January 2014 will be awarded NCIN scholarships of $10,000 each.
NCIN is a program of RWJF and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). Pace University was among the first institutions to receive funding through the RWJF New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program in 2008; the program has already supported 20 Lienhard students. With the five additional students this year, Pace will have received a total of a quarter of a million dollars through the NCIN program.
Lienhard offered the second Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in the country. Since 1984, Pace has offered this accelerated curriculum for college graduates who are not nurses to study and earn a first professional nursing degree. Students who graduate in as little as 12 months are eligible to take the licensure exam and consistently pass at 100%. The school also prides itself on preparing culturally competent leaders.
“We are grateful for this opportunity to help ensure the nursing field has a diverse population of culturally competent practitioners,” said Harriet R. Feldman, Dean of the Lienhard School of Nursing and of Pace’s College of Health Professions. “Our NCIN scholars go on to do great things – from winning Fulbright awards that enable them to work abroad, to doing research locally to improve the care of the elderly and more.”
Ted Bailly, a NCIN scholar, recently won best poster at the National Gerontological Nursing Association (NGNA) conference. His research poster was entitled “Student Perceptions of Older Adults: Outcomes of an Aging Sensitivity Program, A Qualitative Inquiry.” Bailly is a graduate of the BSN portion of the accelerated program and is currently a Family Nurse Practitioner student. Bailly speaks about being a NCIN scholar here: http://www.pace.edu/lienhard/cdp-student-testimonials.
“At this time when the nation’s need for highly educated nurses is growing, we are delighted to be able to support nursing students who will bring diverse and valuable perspectives to the field, and become capable, culturally-competent nurses,” said David Krol, MD, MPH, FAAP, RWJF senior program officer. “NCIN is not only helping these students succeed in school, it is helping prepare the nursing workforce to meet the challenges that lie ahead.”
Martha Greenberg, PhD, RN, is the principal investigator on the grant, and she says, “Our grant is particularly innovative and unique because of the leadership and mentoring components. NCIN scholars will go through pre-immersion programs where they will develop skills in the following areas: test taking, time management, professional writing, medical terminology, and study skills. They will have the opportunity to assess their learning styles, and a tailored approach can be developed to help ensure their success.”
Sharon Wexler, PhD, RN, project director, agrees. “NCIN scholars will be paired with two mentors (one faculty and one non-faculty mentor), and they will have the opportunity to attend professional meetings and conferences with their mentors. Former NCIN scholars will be mentors to the new group of NCIN scholars.”
In addition, NCIN scholars will write essays for the NCIN website as well as the Lienhard School of Nursing site; develop presentations on the accelerated program and the nursing experience; and present at information sessions, webinars, and at institutions with diverse student bodies. They will also assume leadership of Student Nurses at Pace (SNAP) and will assume an evidence-based practice (EBP) research leader role in their nursing research courses.
“NCIN is strengthening nursing education and creating a culture of change at schools of nursing across the country,” said AACN President Jane Kirschling, PhD, RN, FAAN. “Our grantee schools are committed to enrolling students traditionally underrepresented in nursing, and students are benefiting from the emphasis on mentoring and leadership development that are hallmarks of the NCIN program. AACN is proud to collaborate with RWJF on this ground-breaking effort.”
Since 2008, the NCIN program has distributed 3,117 scholarships to students at 125 schools of nursing. This year, funding for 400 scholarships was granted to 52 schools of nursing.
The 2010 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, recommends increasing the proportion of nurses with a baccalaureate degree or higher, and increasing the diversity of students to create a nursing workforce prepared to meet the health care demands of diverse populations across the lifespan. NCIN is helping to advance those recommendations, enabling schools to expand student capacity in higher education, and encouraging more diversity.
By bringing more nurses into the profession at the baccalaureate and master’s degree levels, the NCIN program also helps to address the nation’s nurse faculty shortage. This trend is reflected in the NCIN scholars, as 91 percent of the students receiving funding in the first three years of the program indicate a desire to advance their education to the master’s and doctoral levels.
For more information about Lienhard School of Nursing’s Accelerated BSN program, visit http://www.pace.edu/lienhard/accelerated-BSN. To learn more about the NCIN program, visit www.NewCareersInNursing.org.