NURSING SCHOLARSHIPS

Nurses are there when we come in to this world and they are usually there when we leave it. Perhaps this is why most of us have such a positive view of nurses and are thankful for the nursing scholarships that help them become nurses.

Nursing scholarships are widely available and it’s a good thing because becoming a nurse can cost up to $30,000 a year at some colleges and universities.

The first step in seeking nursing scholarships is to fill out a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). You can receive a Pell Grant for as much as $5,800 to help defray some of the costs of your education.

Why is there such an abundance of nursing scholarships? Nursing is the fastest growing profession in the United States. It has been estimated that in the next decade nursing jobs will expand about twenty percent. That’s one reason why the federal government, colleges, and private foundations are all getting in on the funding of nursing scholarships.

There are currently over 2.9 million people working as registered nurses. More people work as nurses than any other profession. Just one more reason for the prevalence of nursing scholarships.

Need more? People really, really like nurses. And what’s not to like? They take care of us when we are at our most vulnerable. And, what’s more, nurses are always at or near the top of polls about the most respected professions.

Nursing scholarships are such a necessity because it is estimated that there will be 581,500 new nursing jobs in the next decade alone. With the average age of a nurse being 46.8 years it is readily apparent that there will be a great demand for quality nurses in the near future.

There are a wide variety of nursing specialties and as the profession changes so do the needs for different specialty nurses. Nursing scholarships for particular specialties are often sponsored by professional nursing associations at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

As the population ages and people continue to live longer nursing will continue to evolve right along with it. Sixty percent of nurses still work in hospitals, but as the hospitals increasingly release patients early because of financial pressure there will be a demand for home health care. The fact is that most elderly patients prefer it this way anyway.

There is a growing need for bilingual nurses so this is another rich area to mine for potential scholarship money. If you are in a state like California, Arizona, Texas, Florida and a few others this is worth looking into.

Many underserved rural and inner city areas are so desperate for good nurses they may have programs to help with nursing scholarships. In exchange you will usually have to work in the sponsor area for a few years.

Nurses make a difference in people’s lives. It’s a stable job with good pay and opportunity for advancement. It has been said that caring is the essence of nursing. Does this sound like you?