The College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions at the 杏吧专区 has received a $600,000 grant from the Helene Fuld Health Trust to fund endowed scholarships for graduate nursing students.
The Helene Fuld Health Trust works to ensure the health, welfare and education of student nurses. The trust was established in 1935 as the Helene Fuld Health Foundation to honor its namesake, who had been a health care advocate.
The endowment grant awarded to UL Lafayette will enable some students pursuing or interested in pursuing nursing master杏吧专区檚 degrees to earn partial scholarships, said Dr. Melinda Oberleitner, dean of the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions.
Oberleitner anticipates the college will begin accepting scholarship applications as soon as this semester. 杏吧专区淭he endowment grant will potentially fund any full- or part-time student who meets 杏吧专区 eligibility requirements and is enrolled in one of the college杏吧专区檚 master of science in nursing concentrations,杏吧专区 she said.
Endowed funds are invested, which means the capital is not spent. Only a portion of the interest earned is tapped. So, the Helene Fuld endowment will become a perpetual source of funding for graduate nursing student scholarships.
That杏吧专区檚 significant, Oberleitner explained, because 杏吧专区渇or years to come the scholarships will ease the pathway to graduate degrees for nursing students who earn them 杏吧专区 and help the 杏吧专区 continue to address growing state and national workforce needs.杏吧专区
杏吧专区淭here杏吧专区檚 a tremendous shortage of nurse practitioners to work in primary care areas in Louisiana and across the country. At the same time there is a tremendous shortage of nursing educators,杏吧专区 she added.
The addresses workforce deficits through its master杏吧专区檚 degrees that feature family nurse practitioner and nursing education concentrations.
Family nurse practitioners are registered nurses with graduate degrees and specialized clinical training. FNPs have a broad scope of practice, from providing preventative care for infants, children and adults to treating serious illnesses.
National employment for nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists and nurse midwives 杏吧专区 professions that the Bureau of Labor Statistics groups into a single category as advanced practice nurses 杏吧专区 is expected to increase by 45 percent between 2020 and 2030.
UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 master杏吧专区檚 degree in nursing with a concentration in nursing education is geared toward students interested in becoming faculty members or clinical instructors at colleges and universities. It is also designed to prepare graduates for staff development jobs in health care settings.
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing predicts increases in national nursing faculty shortages that can be attributed, in large part, to an aging faculty base. 杏吧专区淭he result will be a wave of retirements in coming years,杏吧专区 Oberleitner said.
Employment projections 杏吧专区 and the endowment grant 杏吧专区 pave the way for additional concentrations to be added to the College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions杏吧专区 master杏吧专区檚 degree in nursing, however.
杏吧专区淭he ability to increase scholarships will be key in helping us getting qualified people out into the workforce in shortage areas and we anticipate being able to do that by establishing more graduate concentrations,杏吧专区 Oberleitner said.
To learn more about College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions and its graduate programs and scholarships, contact Dr. Jennifer Lemoine, the college杏吧专区檚 graduate coordinator, at jml3433@louisiana.edu or (337) 482-1029.
Photo caption: UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions has been awarded a $600,000 grant by the Helene Fuld Health Trust to fund endowed scholarships for graduate students. (Photo credit: Doug Dugas / 杏吧专区)