The federal government offers a variety of grant programs, and some of those are specifically tailored towards students who are heading into nursing and healthcare fields. Many of these programs are offered with the help of the Department of Health and Human Services.
One of these is the Advanced Education Nursing Traineeships program. This grant is given to institutions that have advanced nursing programs that registered nurses can take, such as programs for nurse midwives and nurse practitioners. The school is awarded the grant money, which is then passed on to eligible students. It can be used to pay for tuition, books, fees, and some living expenses while the nurse is in the program. The institution itself is responsible for determining the eligibility requirements for the students who will receive the award, outside of the fact that they must be pursuing a master’s or doctorate degree in the nursing field.
The Harry S Truman Nursing Scholarship Program is another that nurses can apply for. It is available through the Harry S Truman Scholarship Foundation for students who are preparing for careers in public service. Nursing is one of these careers. This money is paid directly to the student who is enrolled in a program at an accredited school. The school will nominate the student for the award, and the Department of Education will recognize the student. Students must be pursing a degree with full time status and fall in the upper quarter of their class in terms of grade point averages in order to qualify.
The National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program is yet another available for nursing students. The goal of this program is to ensure there are enough advanced nurses and similar healthcare professionals on the healthcare industry. The program provides service-obligated nursing scholarships to full-time students studying specific branches of medicine, including nurse practitioner and nurse midwifery. The money for tuition is paid directly to the school, and students also receive a monthly amount for living expenses and other expenses related to school.
Upon graduation, the student will be required to spend one year in service providing full-time health services in a public or private healthcare program as outlined by the government. These include programs in prisons, on Indian reservations, and a variety of other needy areas. Students must be enrolled or accepted in a qualifying school and be studying the correct degree in order to qualify. Proof of U.S. citizenship is required. This is a highly competitive program, and each student is given a score based on a variety of factors, including grades and career goals. Students with the highest scores are granted personal interviews, and from those interviews the winners are chosen.
