Scholarships For Continuing Education Of Nurses - Article Example

The paper aimed to examine the scholarships available for nurses, particularly for those intending to continue their education. In particular, the paper looked into nursing education and the funding associated with it, the importance of continuing education as well as the financial support made available to nurses who seek continuing education, particularly the availability of scholarship grants. It was shown that, despite the relevance of continuing education to nurses along with the participation of different stakeholders, there has still been a considerable lack of financial aid for those who aim to pursue such form of education. Despite concerns with financial support, findings from previous studies have still asserted that it is highly important to encourage nurses to gain more experience and increase their skills and knowledge by means of further education and training. It is then important to seek assistance from grants as well as other revenue sources to assist in meeting the costs of associated with continuing education Introduction To address the current nursing shortage entails considerable efforts that are directed towards the recruitment and retention of nurses along with the capabilities of nursing schools. A number of strategies have often been suggested, such as the supply of sufficient educational facilities, faculty members and funding as well as the increase of financial aid for students and nurses by means of scholarships and other forms of programs and grants (Griscti and Jacono, 2005). Such financial support has especially been found to be inadequate in helping nurses who aim to pursue continuing education. The significance of continuing education has increasingly been debated over the years, particularly in the nursing literature. It has become highly important for stakeholders and policymakers alike in the healthcare industry and has been reflected in different decrees, including the Nurse, Midwives, and Health Visitors Act of 1979 as well as recommendations presented by organizations around the world, such as the Canadian Nurses Association Policy Statement in Canada and the National Staff Committee for Nurses and Midwives in the United Kingdom (Griscti and Jacono, 2005). However, despite the relevance of continuing education to nurses along with the participation of different stakeholders, there has still been a considerable lack of financial aid for those who aim to pursue such form of education. The following sections will then look into nursing education and the funding associated with it, the importance of continuing education as well as the financial support made available to nurses who seek continuing education, particularly the availability of scholarship grants. Education in Nursing There has been a continual debate in the United States concerning the AD and BS education as the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN, 2002) associated the past years with professional tension with regards to chosen routes towards nursing practice. Educators have supported different rewards and practices over the years. Nonetheless, these various levels of skills and competencies have not been equally recognized in the work settings, neither through role differentiation nor compensation. Such occurrences have served as a deterrent for nurses to further raise their level of education and pursue continuing education. In addition, it has been found out that, although some hospitals based their salaries on the nurses’ educational level with which the actual financial increment was small, many other employers strongly relied on available new workers who have received their education in the US or abroad (Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), 2003). Majority of lawmakers in the country have provided funds for student loan forgiveness as well as loan repayment; these have been used as strategies for attracting new nursing graduates to settle in their state of graduation. Again, such efforts place more emphasis on entry-level registered nurses. There has been no strong evidence that these programs for forgiveness and loan repayment are differentiated and provided based on education. Consequently, such gap between education and practice has been recognized with which appeals have been made to employers to implement the necessary changes in the work settings (AACN, 2002) as it has been asserted that effective patient care is demonstrated more by nurses who have attained higher education levels (Aiken, Clark, Cheung, Sloan, and Silber, 2003). Therefore, this implies the need to reduce the barriers and improve the opportunities for nurses to pursue continuing education. The debate regarding the appropriate educational level of registered nurses is likely to continue at state-wide, national, and international levels due to the fact there is limited funding for education. As such, this will hinder the opportunities for preparation and development among the next group of nurses who will practice within a deficient environment which expands around the world. Continuing Education: An Overview According to the American Nurses Association (ANA) and the English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery, and Health Visiting, continuing education can be defined as a form of post-basic nursing education which has been designed to actively involve nurses in a long-term learning process. Ultimately, its main goal is to enhance health care delivery among health care professionals, such as nurses (Lundgren and Houseman, 2002). They have also asserted that the objective behind continuing education is to assist nurses in taking the initiative and developing their competencies for lifelong learning. Continuing education for nursing is highly important as there has been a remarkable increase in professional knowledge along with certain health care system changes and the various changes in the roles and responsibilities of nurses (Brunt, 2003). Therefore, there is a great need for health practitioners to effectively adapt in accordance with changing professional requirements for them to retain their competence as well as to look after the public. Analyses have indicated that the investment returns in education increase based on the additional years of education. In addition, education involves both direct and indirect costs. Consequently, the difficulties in managing financial costs for individuals with bachelor’s degrees and pursuing additional education are similar as those who have lesser education. This then points out the need for nurses with a bachelor’s degree to be in employment for a longer time for them to be able to pay off the investment. Nonetheless, additional education can also bring about socio-psychological returns with which professional identification and increased knowledge can lead to a high level of job satisfaction. Investment in education is also likely to provide extra benefits on the societal level. For instance, as long individuals are satisfied with the jobs and are committed to working longer, they can be expected to contribute more years of competence that is derived form their own experiences (Long, Bernier, and Aiken, 2004). Educational investments, therefore, contribute to both the quantity and quality of the workforce members, hence a societal gain. All these suggest that workforce planning must integrate considerations of the benefits of providing opportunities for nurses’ continuing education, particularly the individual and social investment returns. Because the nursing shortage is known to be a worldwide phenomenon, funders and policymakers should consider programs that will reduce nurses’ difficulties in obtaining additional schooling and increase their opportunities for learning and improving healthcare delivery. Funding for Continuing Education of Nurses Previous studies have indicated the need for additional schooling among registered nurses in the United States as well as in other countries. Furthermore, they also indicated the underfunding for such activities. In the study of Eustace (2001), 16 major nursing organizations were examined in Mississippi with which they indicated two main issues that concerning continuing education (CE): an increase in nursing competence and the need for CE as well as the costs and other problems associated with mandatory CE. Therefore, there is a lack of funding to carry out CE and there has not been an established relation between CE and favorable patient care outcomes. Mandatory CE was implemented for professional nurse re-licensure, ensuring that professional nurses remain knowledgeable and experienced in their areas of practice. However, it was pointed out that the Colorado Board of Nursing had not been provided with additional funding and staff members to facilitate such new requirements. In addition, it was also a concern that employers would not pay and allocate time for CE. The senior management of the Colorado Nurses’ Association also pointed out that funding for CE was not readily available, thereby restricting their control over the provision of financial aid and resources to nurses. Rather than funding the programs for continuing education, the Board utilized its resources to recognize and monitor the nurses who have not been safely and competently involved in their practice. Nonetheless, the law in the US has authorized a number of provisions including scholarships and loan repayment programs for nursing students along with career ladder programs for individuals who seek to advance in the nursing profession, practice grants for members of the nursing administration, care training grants for the development and integration of gerontology curriculum in the nursing programs, and faculty loan repayment programs for students and nurses who pursue to teach at a nursing school (Gallagher, 2005). In a more recent report, it was pointed out that the Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 included a large amount of funds for nursing education and retention, with which $200 million worth of funds was allocated for the Nursing Workforce Development Programs across the United States. In other findings, such as that of Clunie (2008), the relevance of postgraduate education in New Zealand was emphasized, although many nurses in the country have experienced difficulties in accessing education that can meet their needs. Therefore, the Ministerial Taskforce on Nursing planned on a number of strategies to integrate changes in nurses’ education. For example, one strategy placed an emphasis on the first year of clinical practice among newly gradated nurses. These individuals should be supported during this first year of practice, also referred to as the transition year, and their expectations as well as those of the employer should be identified. The Ministry of Health has reviewed the funding for such transition year, allocating additional funds and planning on community-based placements. Another strategy was to consider the barriers that increased the nurses’ difficulties in obtaining postgraduate education. It was suggested that collaboration be established between service providers and educations with which current funding arrangements are reviewed and future financial preparations are planned. A national framework for CE should then be developed to increase consistency and reduce ambiguity (Nursing Council of New Zealand (NCNZ), 2005). Finally, as the funding for CE has been recognized as a considerable problem that should be addressed, it was suggested that the interests of the service providers should be considered when making decisions with regards to the courses that should be funded. Moreover, funding decisions must be made based on a national-level approach with which a clear process of accreditation has been integrated. On the whole, as evident in these findings, the need for financial aid to support the continuing education of nurses is emphasized. Scholarships for the Continuing Education of Nurses Nurses, who aim to carry on with their formal education by means of post-graduate studies, or continuing education, can quality for graduate nursing scholarships provided by the federal government. State monies, which are nursing scholarship funds obtained from private organizations, have been utilized as well. These private funds are drawn from professional specialty groups within the nursing area. Nursing scholarships are also made available with no preference towards a particular race, gender, or religion of the students, although certain funds from these firms are only obtained by specified candidates. Examples of a wide range of nursing scholarships that have been made available in the United States include educational advancement scholarships with which a large amount of funds (e.g. $1,500) is awarded every year to selected 50 to 100 junior and senior students who are enrolled in a BSN accredited nursing program. Other scholarships focus on one student alone with which $2,500 to $10,000 is awarded to him or her who is pursuing a nursing degree. One of the divisions of the Department of Health and Human Services in the US, particularly the National Health Services Corps, also provides information with regards to the scholarships and programs for loan repayment offered to health care professionals who practice within medically underprivileged areas. The Nurse Loan Repayment and Scholarship Program (NELRP), administered by the Division of Nursing at HRSA, provides assistance to registered nurses that aim to repay educational loans in return for these individuals’ service in facilities that have been experiencing nursing shortage. Additionally, the Disadvantaged Faculty Loan Repayment (FLRP) offers repayment for education loans for nursing students who come from deprived backgrounds and serve for two years or more as faculty members at licensed institutions for nursing and other health professions. In the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2012, various funding strategies for enhancing the supply and retention of nurses were incorporated. The Act has extended the financial support for continuing education nursing grants together with diversity grants and the Nurse Education Loan Repayment Program that aims to reimburse 60% of the nursing students’ loans in return for working in duration of two years within a given facility that has been experiencing nursing shortage. Aside from government efforts, private organizations offer scholarships as well with which students and nurses who aim to continue their education should qualify for certain requirements. For example, the American Indian Graduate Center (AIGC) awards graduate scholarships for Alaska Native and American Indian students who come from U.S. tribes that are federally recognized. Other scholarships focus on a certain specialization; for instance, March of Dimes presents scholarships for registered nurses who will enroll in graduate programs for maternal child nursing whereas the National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN) awards scholarships for nurses who are taking up a graduate degree in nursing administration or neonatal nursing. In addition, the Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago are also offering advance practice nursing scholarships of up to $2,500 for nurses who are specializing in critical care while the Building Academic Geriatric Nursing Capacity (BAGNC) offers 2-year scholarships, specifically $50,000 to $60,000 per year, for registered nurses who aim to advance in the geriatric nursing by means of doctoral studies and research. Outside of the country, particularly in Australia, training for nurses who specialize in aged care is provided with scholarships for higher studies. According to the Minister for Mental Health, 130 scholarships have been made available for continuing education in relation to the care of the elderly. Registered nurses are allowed to apply for scholarships worth $15,000 per year for two years of taking up postgraduate studies. Consequently, nurses who have been enrolled and registered can acquire continuing education scholarships worth $3,000 for attending conferences, $5,000 for their involvement in workshops and short courses, as well as $6,000 for more than two years of re-entry courses (Australian Nursing Federation, 2011). Such scholarships are offered through the government’s Supporting a Professional Aged Care Workforce program. Such forms of financial aid can encourage these nurses who care for the elderly to increase their skills and knowledge for them to improve the delivery of clinical care. In addition, accessible training and career advancement enables aged care to be a more favorable career option, making it less difficult to attract and retain quality staff members and improving health care delivery for the elderly. Conclusion Nursing personnel shortages along with inadequate funds can have an adverse impact on the life-long learning of individuals who pursue nursing and similar disciplines. Various educational programs have been faced with budgetary constraints; therefore, if continuing education programs are still to be carried out in the future, it is important to seek assistance from grants as well as other revenue sources to assist in meeting the costs of associated with continuing education. Assessment of needs in relation to this education is also a matter of importance for continuing education planners to ensure that they are meeting the needs and expectations of professional nurse consumers. Despite such occurrence, the increasing numbers of nurses who aim to obtain a degree and further continue their education along with the increasing number of nurses who have graduated from universities can suggest that these individuals seek competency acquisition and development. Consequently, this can positively affect the quality of healthcare delivery. If given the adequate opportunities, such yearning may continue to be evident in the profession of nursing. Based on the findings regarding opportunities for continuing education, particularly with regards to financial aid, organizations should make use of a participatory approach in addressing the issues of continuing education among nurses. Despite concerns with financial support, findings from previous studies have still asserted that it is highly important to encourage nurses to gain more experience and increase their skills and knowledge by means of further education and training. In addition, educational programs for these individuals should be enhanced at every level to increase interest whereas the funding of applicants should always be considered as they progress towards advanced degrees. In relation to a participatory approach towards making decisions with regards to nurses’ continuing education, it is also relevant to demonstrate support for nurses to be involved in healthcare reform planning. All in all, continuing or postgraduate education can be deemed as a current rend and will be a fundamental component of nursing in the future as well. The significance of continual learning is evident and the nursing profession has recognized the outcomes of further education and training. To effectively facilitate the availability of opportunities in continuing education, the financial aid offered by government and private organizations is of great importance with which nursing schools and employers should establish strong communication with such firms to determine how scholarships, grants, and other helpful programs can be allocated to nurses who are worthy of such opportunities. References Aiken, L., Clark, S., Cheung, R., Sloan, D.M., and Silber, J.H. (2003). Educational levels of hospital nurses and surgical patient mortality. Journal of American Medical Association, 290 (12), 1617-1623. American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2002). Task force on education and regulation for professional nursing practice. Washington, DC: Author. Australian Nursing Federation (2011). Postgraduate and continuing education scholarships for aged care nurses. Retrieved November 20, 2011, from http://www.anfvic.asn.au/about/news/34986.html Brunt B.A. (2003) The importance of life long learning in managing Risks. The Nursing Management Risk Series. Retrieved July 29, 2003, from http://www.nursingworld.org/mods/archive/mod311/cerm2ful.htm Clunie, S. (2008). The current trend and importance of postgraduate education for nurses. Nursing & Health Journal Articles. Paper 4. Retrieved November 20, 2003, from http://www.coda.ac.nz/northtec_nh_jo/4 Eustace, L. (2001). Mandatory continuing education: past, present, and future trends and issues. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 32 (3), 133-137. Gallagher, R. (2005). National quality efforts: What continuing and staff development educators need to know. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 36, (1), 39 – 45. Griscti, O., and Jacono, J. (2005). Effectiveness of continuing education programmes in nursing: literature review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 55(4), 449–456 Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (2003). Healthcare at a crossroads: strategies for addressing the evolving nursing crisis. Retrieved September 9, 2003, from: http://www.jcaho.org/about+us/public+policy+initiatives/health+care+at+the+crossroads.pdf Long, K. Bernier, S., and Aiken, L. (2004). RN education: A matter of degrees. Nursing, 34 (3), 48. Lundgren, B.S., and Houseman C.A. (2002). Continuing competence in selected health care professions. Journal of Allied Health, 31(4), 232–240. Nursing Council of New Zealand (NCNZ). (2005). Continuing competence framework, Retrieved September 23, 2005, from http://www.nursingcouncil.org.nz/contcomp.html Read More