Nursing Grant to Benefit Future Educators

February 7th, 2011

In an effort to stem a shortage of healthcare professors, Iowa Student Loan is offering grants to individuals who wish to pursue additional nursing programs, The Grand Views reports.

Money is cited as one of the main reasons for the shortage. Iowa Student Loan’s grants will provide up to $125,000 for individuals who plan to become nursing educators.

Greta Degen, a faculty member in Grand View University’s nursing department, says that Iowa Student Loan's grant program “removes an important financial obstacle that stands in the way of nurses who want to teach and are concerned about the financial implications of going back to school.”

Individuals who qualify for the scholarship may receive up to $4,000 per academic year. The program is designed for graduate-level students in Iowa who are pursuing nursing degrees, and either work as educators or plan to.

The news source reports that in 2008, Iowa had more than 100 nursing job vacancies.

According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, in 2009, U.S. nursing schools had to turn away 54,991 qualified applicants from baccalaureate and graduate programs due in part to a shortage of faculty.