Nursing students these days can earn a degree easier and more quickly through a rising number of innovative programs with flexible schedules and accelerated formats. The programs could prove helpful, since the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects fast employment growth in certain registered nursing areas particularly. The prospects are better for registered nurses with bachelor's degrees than those without, according to the Labor Bureau, and nurse practitioners, nurse anesthesiologists, clinical nurse specialists and nurse-midwives are expected to be in high demand - particularly in rural communities and inner city areas. Nevertheless, the Tri-Council for Nursing suggests that few registered nurses are advancing their education.
Financial assistance could be the key, particularly since a recent article in Forbes magazine reported that tuition rates at four-year institutions have grown 91 percent beyond inflation rates over the past two decades. Families last year had to work longer hours and pull more money from scholarships as a means of paying for college, according to a Fannie Mae report issued earlier this year. It's possible, however, to acquire as much as $100,000 and more in scholarships - and several high school students planning studies in everything from engineering to elementary education have recently done it.
When deciding on a college or university, students are advised to first select quality institutions that best meet their needs and goals. They can then follow the Forbes and US News & World report methods for determining lists of "best buy" and "best value" colleges and universities: Deducting scholarships and other forms of financial aid and comparing "net" costs. At least two of the students who obtained six-figure scholarships found the offerings on the Internet.
Scholarship search engines make the process easier. In addition to scholarships that colleges and universities provide, the search engines point students toward scholarships from non-profit foundations, large corporations and others. Government agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, also offer scholarships. Nursing students who receive Department of Health and Human Services scholarships specifically this year also received monthly stipends of more than $1,300 recipients. In exchange for the assistance, scholarship recipients work for at least two years in healthcare facilities that need them, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website shows.
Students participating in 2010-2011 accelerated nursing programs were the focus of a New Careers in Nursing Scholarship program that provided more than 500 students scholarships of $10,000 each, according to a June announcement. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing make New Careers scholarships available through individual colleges and universities. CampusRN this year offered a new nursing scholarship as part of its launch of state website editions, and six students benefited - received $2,500 in scholarships apiece.
Single mothers, minorities and potential male nurses can also find scholarships tailored especially for them. Minority Nurse Magazine, along with national nursing associations for blacks, Hispanics and Alaska American Indians are among the scholarship sources for minorities. The Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund, the Patsy Takemoto Mink Education Foundation, the R.O.S.E. and W.I.S.P, and the Jeannette Rankin Foundation Scholarship Program. Change your World scholarships are said to extend scholarships tailored to single mothers. The American Assembly for Men in Nursing offers two scholarship programs for male students who want to pursue degrees in nursing.
Still other scholarships might be provided to nursing students who want to specialize in certain fields, such as pediatrics or oncology. Nursing students can also apply for general scholarships and, if awarded them, apply the scholarship money to nursing degree courses. Erica Coomes, one of several high achieving high school graduate recipients of a W.R. Grace & Co., scholarship, plans to apply the $2,000 scholarship money she received to a nursing program at the undergraduate level, a W.R. Grace & Co., announcement noted.
The one requirement that many scholarships have in common is that institutions are accredited by a nationally recognized agency. Accredited online degrees are the same as on campus as far as standards. With accredited institutions, students can also often apply scholarships to online course programs, as well as courses provided in a traditional campus classroom setting.
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