UA’s Nursing School Grant Helps Prepare Nurse Educators

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama’s Capstone College of Nursing has a new funding program that will make doctoral nursing education more affordable for currently practicing or teaching nurses who are committed to educating the next generation of nurses.

The nursing college received a Nurse Faculty Loan Program grant of $237,501; the College matched a percentage of the grant bringing total funding to $263,890.

The Nurse Faculty Loan Program is administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Service Administration. These grants are designed to increase the number of nursing faculty and, ultimately, address the nursing workforce shortage.

The grant allows the Capstone College of Nursing to offer loans for reasonable educational expenses at a low interest rate with subsequent partial loan forgiveness to borrowers who complete the program of study and then serve as a full-time nursing faculty for a period of four years.

Loan recipients may cancel up to 85 percent of their loan in return for serving full-time as faculty in an accredited school of nursing.

“Often men and women who seek to become nurse educators already have their plates full with financial, work and family obligations,” said Dr. Alice L. March, assistant dean for graduate programs and principal investigator on the grant. “This program provides a means to ease the financial roadblocks to getting a doctoral degree.”

This grant will enhance the experience of current students and adds yet another tool to CCN’s graduate recruitment toolkit, said March, who will serve as the program director.

To qualify for the program, students must be accepted or enrolled in the Instructional Leadership for Nurse Educators program offered by CCN and UA’s College of Education.

The funding is not need based, so any Nurse Educator EdD student is eligible. Once accepted into the program, students who maintain good academic standing will continue to benefit from the grant until they graduate.

The service requirement for loan forgiveness begins during the first nine months after completion of degree.

To inquire about the NFLP program at CCN, email Vickie Samuel at vsamuel@ua.edu.