An urgent shortage of nursing faculty isn’t just something to worry about in the future. It’s here now.
According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), U.S. nursing schools turned away more than 32,000 qualified students in 2004. Most of those schools cited a lack of faculty as the reason these students could not be admitted. Add in a wave of nursing faculty retirements that’s expected to sweep the nation over the next 10 years and the implications for the future of nursing become very serious indeed.
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In light of these alarming statistics, a growing number of nursing graduate programs across the country are offering education-focused master’s degrees–ranging from Master’s in Nursing Education to MSN degrees with a nursing education certificate or option–designed to move nurses from clinical practice into teaching positions quickly. Of course, these types of programs are not exactly new. But what’s newsworthy about them these days is that many schools have recently begun to offer them for the first time as a direct response to the faculty shortage.
Traditionally, nurse educators have taken a long, sometimes daunting path to the faculty ranks. It involved hours in the classroom, both as a student and as a teaching or graduate assistant. A master’s degree was just the beginning: Potential educators were expected to eventually complete a PhD or EdD, terminal degrees conferred after more time in the classroom, extensive research and public service.
Most nursing programs today still require or prefer doctorally prepared faculty, especially for teaching at the baccalaureate level and above. But with the current hemorrhaging of the nursing faculty supply, there’s no denying that a fast-track approach to producing more nurse educators is becoming more and more of a necessity.
From Nurse to Teacher
Heather Griffin, an African American nurse who was born in Jamaica, is one of those students who will soon be making the transition from clinical nurse to nursing educator. She will graduate in May from William Paterson University in Wayne, N.J., with an MSN degree with a concentration in nursing education. And she’s already fielding offers to become a faculty member.
Griffin returned to school for her master’s after working as a nurse for 15 years. One reason was purely physical. She says she felt it wouldn’t be too many more years before the eight-to-12-hour shifts she regularly worked would take their toll on her back and legs. But her biggest motivation had more to do with her heart and head.
“I always liked teaching and working with nursing students,” she explains, “and this opportunity presented itself. I remember how scared I was when I was a new nurse. I want to support new nurses.”
Choosing a master’s program with a focus on nursing education allowed Griffin to concentrate on her new passion–teaching. While she hasn’t ruled out getting a PhD, it isn’t in her immediate plans.
“The next step in my educational advancement was to pursue a master’s degree,” she emphasizes. “It took me a long time to decide to return to school. Part of the focus in a PhD program is research and, at the time that I decided [to go to graduate school], that did not appeal to me.”
Diversifying the Faculty
As the nursing profession gears up to aggressively recruit and train a new generation of nursing educators to replenish the dwindling supply, it hopes to pull from candidates too often overlooked in the past–minorities and men. Both populations have long been severely underrepresented at the faculty level.
“Our programs need to reflect the demographics of society,” says Kem Louie, PhD, RN, FAAN, director of the graduate nursing program at William Paterson University and past president of the Asian American/Pacific Islander Nurses Association. “Ethnic and [racial] minority populations are increasing and it’s important that [minority] nursing students see role models in those that teach and those that practice.”
Many of the current crop of master’s-level nursing educator programs are specifically reaching out to nurses from diverse backgrounds. For example, the College of New Rochelle (CNR) School of Nursing in New Rochelle, N.Y., which launched its new Nurse Educator Master’s Program last fall, has a large population of African American and Hispanic students.
The mission to attract more nurses from underrepresented populations to teaching careers must begin at the undergraduate level, believes Mary Alice Higgins Donius, EdD, RN, who will become the new dean of the CNR School of Nursing in July. She is currently an associate professor in the School of Nursing at Sound Shore Medical Center.
“We have to identify those students who might be interested in nursing education and reach out to them,” Donius says. “[Nurse educators] need to talk to students about why we like [teaching] and how they can plan a career in nursing education.”
The emergence of online distance-learning courses has helped make graduate school more accessible for many types of students, including more minorities, men and people living in rural communities. Clarkson College, based in Omaha, Neb., is a pioneer in providing online education for health care providers. The college offers an MSN program with an option in nursing education, as well as a post-master’s certificate in nursing education.
“The school is totally online and we have students located all over the country,” notes Marla Erbin-Roesemann, PhD, RN, associate professor and director of the college’s graduate program. Students in the nursing education master’s program visit the campus physically only once or twice during the program. They perform required clinical rotations and preceptor teaching in the communities where they live.
The college makes sure support services are available to help students who need assistance with projects and problems. “Students do get support through their professors and often look to community members for support as well,” Erbin-Roesemann explains. “If they need additional help, it’s handled online. We have counselors on campus. We also have a director of diversity who can talk to students.”
Nurse Educators for Tomorrow
One of the newest master’s degree programs created in response to the nursing faculty shortage is being offered at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing. Funded by a grant from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), this online program likewise hopes to increase the number of nurse educators from underrepresented populations–nurses of color, men and rural nurses.
The program, known as Nurse Educators for Tomorrow (NET), has an unusual two-pronged focus. It trains nurses to become clinical nurse specialists or nurse practitioners with added post-graduate courses that prepare them to be educators as well. Students must complete the standard 36 hours required by most master’s programs, plus nine additional hours in nursing education, including courses covering online teaching and curriculum development.
“Graduates are prepared to function in either setting–as practitioners and/or educators–so it’s a win-win situation,” says Nadine Nehls, PhD, RN, professor and associate dean for academic programs at the nursing school. On the clinical side, students may specialize in either pediatric or medical-surgical care.
The program’s recruiting efforts are assisted by a community liaison, says Gale Barber, MA, assistant dean for graduate studies. This person does community outreach and is actually housed at a rural site in order to put her closer to prospective students.
How has NET succeeded in its first year? Nehls reports that the program has attracted a large percentage of students from rural areas, but so far no minority or male students. The school is closely examining its recruiting plans with an eye toward developing strategies that will more effectively reach these targeted populations.
“This year, we’re going to do more targeted recruitment,” explains Pam Scheibel, MSN, RN, a clinical professor in the program. “We’re looking at alumni lists and trying to make individualized, tailored outreach to these students.”
Even though the program is taught online, one of the major obstacles to attracting more culturally diverse students seems to be simple geography. Madison just doesn’t have a large minority population, says Barber.
Adds Scheibel, “Several [minority] students who have come here and had good experiences during the recruitment process eventually decided to go to school in another area where there’s more [diversity]. Some also choose schools that are able to offer larger scholarships.”
This year, the school’s recruiting efforts will accentuate the program’s online format, helping students realize that the location of the campus is really not that relevant. “Students can stay in their own communities and do their clinical and teaching experience there,” Barber emphasizes.
Master’s vs. Doctorate
Pursuing a career as a master’s-prepared–rather than doctorally prepared–nursing educator is not for everybody. Nurses who are considering making the move to academia need to be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of both options and must evaluate them closely against their particular career goals.
For example, Heather Griffin knows that without a terminal degree, one of the biggest benefits offered by a university–tenure–will not be available for her. The tenure system, exclusive to the academic world, means that a faculty member can’t be fired or downsized except under the most extreme conditions.
“Tenure gives you a sense of permanency and shows that you have paid your dues. You really can’t be asked to leave,” Louie explains.
The lack of a terminal degree will also limit the career advancement options available to a nurse educator. “Having only a master’s degree is going to limit where and how far you go,” says Donius. “A master’s degree in nursing education is a very valuable credential in preparing people for [certain] roles in teaching and nursing. In higher education, though, a master’s degree does have a more limited scope. Nurse educators with master’s degrees are used at the associate degree level and in clinical, off-site settings. If you really want a career in [academic] nursing education, a doctorate will be required.”
But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a very rewarding faculty career without that terminal degree–especially if, like Griffin, what you really want to focus on is teaching.
“According to the Board of Nursing, nurses with a master’s degree can teach in academic programs, which gives a more focused concentration in the role of educator,” Louie points out. “The doctoral degree generally provides a research focus or more specialization in the practice of nursing. Many universities have clinical or non-tenured faculty positions which may or may not have a time limit and can be renewed without a doctoral degree.”
It is very important for newly minted nurse educators to make sure their goals match those of the educational institution they join, Louie advises. “Nursing faculty need to conform to university expectations.” Ultimately, she adds, “I believe nurses who want a career of teaching other nurses will eventually continue toward their doctoral degrees.”
The Money Factor
Salary considerations are another factor nurses contemplating a move to teaching must weigh against their career aspirations as well as their personal goals. Many experts believe faculty pay may well be one of the biggest reasons for the shortage in the number of professors. A recent study by ADVANCE for Nurse Practitioners revealed that the typical salary for an NP working in an emergency room was around $80,000. That’s $20,000 more than the average nursing professor earns.
“A lot of our students [in the nursing education concentration] do not go into education [when they complete the program],” says Erbin-Roesemann. “They go back to nursing because of the money. Educators earn less than staff nurses.”
And educators with only a master’s degree will earn less than their doctorally prepared counterparts. Louie cites a 2002 report by AACN that showed the median salary for all nurses with doctoral degrees to be around $75,000. Those with master’s degrees earned about $15,000 less.
However, she points out, “[Faculty] pay can vary greatly across the country and depending on the type of nursing program, whether it’s a private or public college, and the regional location.”
Getting In
You’ve weighed all the pros and cons and you’ve decided that a master’s degree program with an emphasis on nursing education is the right option for you. What are your chances of actually getting in?
While methods of delivery have changed, entrance requirements have not. Like most other master’s programs, nursing education programs require a minimum 3.0 GPA, professional and academic references, an essay explaining why you want to enter the program, plus the dreaded GRE®, formally known as the Graduate Record Examination®. The GRE is an assessment test that measures skills in mathematics, comprehension, analytical reasoning and other areas.
“Each [of these entrance requirements] is only one part of an application,” says Nehls. “[In the admissions process,] we look at the whole application.” She adds that the once-common philosophy that years and years of experience were needed to be a good teacher has faded somewhat.
None of the schools interviewed for this article require any previous teaching experience, although many students currently enrolled in their nurse educator programs had worked as preceptors or mentors in clinical settings. At Clarkson College, students may enter the program without any work experience, but are expected to get some quickly.
“Most of our students do have a couple of years experience,” Erbin-Roesemann clarifies. “Students can come right into the master’s program without any work experience but they do need at least one year of experience before starting their option courses. They can get that experience while taking core courses.”
Helping Minority Students Succeed
As the number of underrepresented minority students in graduate school increases, nursing program administrators are taking steps to make sure those students succeed. “ We don’t like to talk about students needing help in graduate school, but sometimes it happens,” says Louie. “Many students, particularly if English is not their native language, may need help with writing. Some students have problems with statistics.”
The graduate program at William Paterson University provides a nursing support coordinator who serves as the “go to” person when students have academic problems or trouble with an assignment. “The coordinator is not a professor, so the student is not intimidated,” Louie explains. “The coordinator can work with the professor to see exactly what is expected. The coordinator’s role is to find someone on campus who can help. We do refer students to other resources in any department at the university.”
Funding Future Faculty
For many nurses, lack of financial resources can be an obstacle that keeps them from returning to school to pursue master’s degrees. That’s why many of the current efforts to address the nursing faculty shortage are offering special scholarships, loans and other types of financial assistance for students who make the commitment to become nursing educators.
Heather Griffin, an African American nurse who is currently completing an MSN degree with a concentration in nursing education at William Paterson University in Wayne, N.J., was able to take advantage of the federally funded Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP). William Paterson is one of a limited number of universities to receive these funds through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Griffin will be able to cancel 85% of the loan she received by completing the degree and working for five years in an approved educational role.
“I was fortunate enough to go back to school full-time and that made me eligible for the loan,” she says. “It is helping me pay for part of my education. [Going back to school] is difficult when you have other financial responsibilities.”
While this loan program is currently available at only two nursing schools, most colleges and universities do have private resources that fund scholarships and assistantship programs for graduate students. Ask about this when choosing a school. Some funds are awarded based on need, some based on merit and some based on potential. In some parts of the country, financial assistance designed specifically for future nursing educators is available at the state level. The Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, as part of its Nursing Education Loan Scholarship (NELS) Program, offers a Nursing Teacher Stipend Program for MSN and PhD students who agree to teach at an accredited nursing school in Mississippi upon graduation. Candidates must be Mississippi residents attending a school in that state.
In Pennsylvania, nurses who are interested in going back to school to teach nursing can receive financial assistance from the Nurse Scholars Program, a partnership between Independence Blue Cross and the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency. The program will underwrite scholarship funding for qualified students attending an accredited nursing graduate program in five southeastern Pennsylvania counties. It also gives future nurse educators the opportunity to receive grants and scholarships toward their graduate degree directly from the qualified nursing schools they attend.
One national scholarship program created to increase the supply of doctorally prepared nursing educators is the Monster Healthcare-American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Nursing Faculty Scholarship. Launched in August 2005, this program provides $25,000 scholarships, plus part-time clinical employment and health benefits, to students enrolled full-time in a baccalaureate-to-doctoral degree or Doctor of Nursing Practice program who intend to pursue faculty careers. Upon graduation, recipients must serve in a teaching capacity at a nursing school for a minimum of one year for each year of scholarship support received.
The genesis of the United States Peace Corps stems back to 1960 and then-presidential candidate John F. Kennedy’s impromptu speech at the University of Michigan. Kennedy challenged students to support the cause of peace by living and working in developing countries. By 1961, then-President Kennedy signed Executive Order 10924 and officially established the Peace Corps.
Since then, more than 170,000 volunteers have worked in 136 host countries. According to the Corps’ Web site (www.peacecorps.gov), volunteers work and live in rural and urban communities in Asia, Central America, Europe and Africa. Volunteers work on everything from education, health and HIV/ AIDS, business, information technology, agriculture and the environment.
The men and women who join the Peace Corps are as diverse as the work that they do and the countries where they work. Volunteers come from a multitude of races, ethnic backgrounds, ages and religions. They have varying physical abilities and come from different geographical regions and diverse personal backgrounds.
Today, the Peace Corps is more important than ever: In May 2003, the Peace Corps committed 1,000 new volunteers to work on HIV/AIDS related activities, as part of President Bush’s Global AIDS Relief Package.
Volunteer Opportunities in Health
Health care opportunities abound in the Peace Corps for individuals looking for an exciting opportunity to truly make a profound impact in the lives of people all over the world. Peace Corps health volunteers make up 21% of the overall volunteers, and they help improve basic health care at the grass-roots level by focusing on prevention, human capacity building and education. Volunteers work on basic health care issues, such as combating malnutrition and providing safe drinking water.
Volunteering in health and HIV/AIDS allows volunteers to educate and promote the awareness of HIV/AIDS—one of the most serious worldwide threats to public health and development. According to the Peace Corps’ Web site, health care volunteers train youth as peer educators, collaborate with religious leaders to develop appropriate education strategies, provide support to children orphaned by HIV/AIDS, and develop programs that provide support to families and communities affected by the disease.
Health Extension
Volunteers in Health Extension raise awareness in communities about the need for health education. Activities include identifying local leaders to teach families about maternal and child health, basic nutrition, or sanitation; setting up training on nutrition, sanitation, or oral rehydration therapy; organizing groups to raise money for needed health care materials; and training of trainers for peer education about AIDS and other STDs.
Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree and an interest in community health demonstrated through volunteer or work experience, or be a registered nurse with a demonstrated interest in community health. Counseling or teaching can also qualify as experience for this program.
Public Health Education
Volunteers in Public Health Education teach public health in classrooms and model methodologies and subjects for primary and secondary school teachers. Projects include undertaking “knowledge, attitude and practice” surveys in communities; assisting clinics or government planning offices in identifying health education needs; devising educational programs to address local health conditions; assisting in marketing of messages aimed at improving local health practices; carrying out epidemiological studies; and acting as backup professionals for other health volunteers.
Public Health Education applicants must have a bachelor’s degree in health education, nutrition, dietetics, or another health-related discipline. Applicants can also have a master’s degree in public health or be a registered nurse certified in public health, midwifery, or be a certified physician’s assistants. Most applicants have also been active in health-related activities on a volunteer basis. Other relevant experience includes expertise in disease surveillance, creative training and adult education techniques, and community entry and survey methods.
Master’s International and Fellows/USA
The Peace Corps offers two advanced education programs to Peace Corps volunteers: Master’s International and Fellows/USA. The Master’s International program allows volunteers to incorporate Peace Corps service into their master’s degree programs at more than 40 colleges and universities. The Fellows/USA program offers former volunteers scholarships or reduced tuition in advanced degree programs at more than 30 participating colleges and universities.
In return for these educational benefits, Fellows commit to working in an underserved community as they pursue their graduate degree. Additionally, Peace Corps volunteers may apply for partial deferment of many loans and up to 15 % cancellation of Perkins loans.
Volunteer Benefits
Serving in the Peace Corps gives volunteers the chance to learn a new language, live in another culture, and develop career and leadership skills. Among financial benefits, the Peace Corps offers a monthly living allowance, comprehensive medical and dental coverage, $6,075 after the completion of three months of training and two years of volunteer service, a reasonably priced health insurance plan available after the completion of volunteer service for up to 18 months, and 24 vacation days per year.
The Peace Corps’ Office of Returned Volunteer Services (RVS) provides career, educational and re-entry related assistance through its 11 regional recruiting offices and its Career Center in Washington, D.C.
Former volunteers also have non-competitive eligibility status for appointments to U.S. government executive branch agencies for one year after their completion of service. This means that former volunteers can be appointed to some federal government positions without competing with the general public.
For more in-depth information on the Peace Corps’ volunteer opportunities, log onto www.peacecorps.gov, where you can request a brochure and an application, fill out an online application, find a recruiting agent or a regional recruiting office, and much more.
Peace Corps Stats
Peace Corps officially established: March 1, 1961
Total number of volunteers and trainees to date: 170,000
Total number of countries served: 136
Current number of volunteers and trainees: 6,678
Volunteer breakdown:
32% in education
21% in health
18% in environment
14% in business
9% in agriculture
7% other
Gender: 61% female, 39% male
Marital status: 91% single, 9% married
People of color: 15% of Peace Corps volunteers
Age: 28 years old (average), 25 years old (median)
Volunteers over age 50: 6% (oldest volunteer is 84)
Education: 86% have undergraduate degrees, 12% have graduate studies/degrees
The ever-increasing nursing shortage and the need for more nurses of color who can provide culturally competent care to an increasingly multicultural population has prompted colleges and universities to create alternative pathways into the nursing field. One such pathway is the master’s entry program in nursing (MEPN), an accelerated MSN program that enables people with non-nursing degrees to complete the requirements for RN licensure and earn a master’s degree in a clinical specialty, allowing them to become advanced practice nurses in two to four years (depending on their specialty).
In the first “bridge” phase of the program, students combine classroom study with practice of clinical skills in laboratory and real-life settings. At the end of this time, they are eligible to take the NCLEX-RN® and move on to the master’s phase of the program. The philosophy behind these programs, which essentially bypass the traditional BSN degree, is: If students have already completed their prerequisites by earning a degree in another field, why make them start from scratch and earn another bachelor’s degree in nursing?
Not that MEPN programs are new. The first was established at Yale University in 1974 as a three-year program for non-nursing majors. Since then, the number of schools offering similar programs has grown steadily.
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“In 1999, there were about 10 or 12 programs of this kind across the country,” recalls Sharon Sanderson, director of recruitment at Yale School of Nursing. “There are now close to 40, and they’re all a little different.”
These differences run the gamut from the schedule and time frame required for completion of the RN and master’s courses to the name of the program itself. For example, at some schools MEPN programs may be called graduate entry pre-specialty in nursing (GEPN), direct-entry MSN or accelerated pre-specialty MSN.
Whatever academic institutions choose to call them, most MEPN programs require that prospective students have a bachelor’s degree in a field other than nursing (although some will accept students without a degree if they have completed a specified number of prerequisite courses). Admissions decisions are based on a combination of grade point averages, professional/life experience and Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores. And because many schools are aiming toward a more culturally diverse student population that will ultimately lead to a more diverse nursing workforce, they are actively recruiting people of color and men for these accelerated programs.
Growing the Numbers
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the health care industry will need to find more than one million new and replacement registered nurses over the next decade. To meet these projections, nursing schools must increase their number of both traditional and nontraditional students. The average ratio of minority students in MEPN programs tends to range from 11% to 28%, and a growing number of schools are trying to increase that percentage. For example, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing in Nashville, which instituted its two-year Pre-Specialty Entry for Non-Nurses program in the 1980s, began targeted recruitment of students of color in 1993.
Jose Pares-Avila, MA, LMHC
“The nursing school received an academic enhancement grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration,” explains Jana Lauderdale, PhD, MSN, RN, assistant dean for cultural diversity at Vanderbilt. “Since then, each of our grants has always had a focus on minority recruitment as a part of the grant. For instance, there are a couple of training grants this year that are targeting minority students in areas of the United States that don’t have access to a master’s degree in nursing program.”
Partnerships with local agencies, professional associations, middle and high schools, and other universities can also help nursing schools attract students from underrepresented populations who might not have thought of an MEPN program as an option. “We involve all school stakeholders in recruitment efforts and in providing individualized follow-up to prospective students,” states Carolyn Chow, MA, director of admissions and multicultural student affairs at the University of Washington School of Nursing in Seattle. “We’ve also increased our involvement, partnerships and networking with minority affairs offices on campus and at other schools and with professional, academic and community organizations in communities of color.”
Catching students’ interest early is also important. “We work with health professions advisers, who are the people at colleges who encourage students to go on to other areas of health care,” notes Sanderson. “The majority are biology or physical science teachers.” Unfortunately, these advisers often point students toward medicine instead of nursing, a choice that Sanderson feels is based on a skewed vision of the nursing profession. “It’s imperative that we change the image of the nurse from someone who’s subservient to an MD to someone who’s on the same health care team as the MD,” she emphasizes.
Learning at a Faster Pace
Diversity is the name of the game in master’s entry nursing programs. Students come from a broad range of cultures, educational and professional backgrounds, age groups and life experiences. Their previous education may have been in any field, from sociology to photography, and their degree levels vary from bachelor’s to master’s to doctoral. Although some MEPN students enter the program directly after completing their undergraduate degree, most are career changers who are in their mid 20s or older.
Janelle Zamora
Peter Teboh, RN, MBA, MPH, went into the Graduate Entry Program for Non-Nurses at Case Western Reserve University’s Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing in Cleveland with a background in biology, chemistry, business and public health. Married with three children, Teboh–who is originally from Cameroon–had worked in public health for a number of years but decided he wanted to move into direct patient care. He is now in his last year of study to become a geriatric nurse practitioner.
“You have to know what you want,” he advises prospective MEPN students. “The program is extremely challenging, and you have to put [the rest of] your life on hold. It takes a lot of advance planning and family support.” The intensive academic load is universal in accelerated programs, and MEPN students need to have excellent study skills, a clear idea of what they want to accomplish and a strong dedication to their chosen field. As a former student and current faculty member (Foundations of Nursing course) in Vanderbilt’s pre-specialty program, Shawanda Clay, MSN, APRN-BC, has first-hand knowledge of the amount of work involved from both sides of the fence.
“The accelerated program is different than what students experienced in undergraduate school,” she explains. “BSN students complete nursing courses in four semesters, but this program allows students to complete them in three. The students have to be well organized and self-disciplined.”
The time commitment required means that most students find it difficult, if not impossible, to hold down jobs while they’re going through their pre-specialty year. Those with partners, children and other family commitments face the challenge of juggling those responsibilities along with the heavy course work.
Clefondrus Ashford, RN, was an LPN with a bachelor’s degree in biology before she entered Case Western’s graduate entry program. Now in her third year of the program (her specialty is geriatrics/adult care), she went to her instructors and adviser early on when outside family and financial commitments made completing course work difficult.
“When I first started the program, I was working because the financial aid wasn’t enough,” Ashford recalls. “Eventually I stopped because it was just too hard. Then two family members became ill, and the school worked with me so I could drop a class and retake it the following semester. The faculty were very understanding, and they can be flexible if you let them know right away that you have a problem.” Addressing problems early can help prevent a snowball effect that might make it impossible for a student to catch up with regular assignments.
To avoid burnout, students need to carve out time for relaxation and personal “downtime.” “We have classes six days a week, three of which are clinical days (nine- to 12-hour shifts),” says Janelle Zamora, a University of Washington student who is in the third quarter of her prelicensure program. She previously earned a bachelor’s degree in comparative religion and will now be working toward a master’s degree in community health systems nursing.
“It’s a balancing act,” she continues. “In my first quarter, I dropped everything and focused solely on the program, but at the quarter’s end I realized that there was more to life than just school. I learned that I have to take time for myself–spend time with my family, go to the gym, have dinner with friends. Self-care, that’s the mantra. And with only 20 students in our program, we’re really able to support each other. We have great cohesiveness.”
Perhaps because of the relatively small class sizes and the mutually supportive atmosphere common to MEPN programs, many students of color don’t seem to have as much of a sense of isolation as they would in other types of programs with similar minority ratios. “I’ve never felt marginalized,” states Marie Gonzalez, who has an undergraduate degree in interdisciplinary studies and is a second-year student at Vanderbilt University who will graduate in December with an MSN in nurse-midwifery. “My father and his family are from Cuba and my mother is from Florida. It actually feels like my input is more valued because of my background.”
Zamora’s classmate José Pares-Avila, MA, LMHC, a licensed mental health professional who worked in hospital- and community-based HIV programs for 15 years before deciding to pursue advanced practice nursing, has also found the friendships forged in his first year an important source of support. “I’m Latino, I’m one of three men in the group, I’m the only gay person and I’m older, so the feeling of isolation varies,” comments Pares-Avila. “I’m also new to Seattle, so there’s the matter of relocating to a new city and leaving my life in Boston behind. But my classmates are amazing, and I’ve become close friends with many of them.”
Providing Support
Because master’s entry nursing programs are so demanding, all of the schools interviewed for this article provide some sort of mentoring, networking or support groups for students. Some of these resources are designed specifically for minority students, while others are open to everyone; some are available exclusively within the school of nursing, and some are university wide.
The mentors available for students in Case Western Reserve’s graduate entry program include faculty advisers, alumni and current classmates, who provide peer mentoring. In addition, each class has a student representative who takes any identified concerns about the program to administration.
The University of Washington’s nursing school puts current and prospective students of color in contact with key minority leaders and health professionals in the community so they have access to professional support and mentoring outside of the school. As for on-campus support, minority graduate and doctoral students from across the university can participate in a support group that holds seminars and monthly meetings and provides networking opportunities.
Vanderbilt’s nursing school has developed an infrastructure of minority faculty, staff and alumni mentors to support minority students from their initial program inquiry through graduation. Such support can range from information sharing to academic counseling.
One of the goals of Yale School of Nursing’s Diversity Action Committee is to increase the number of minority faculty so students of color will be able to have mentors from similar backgrounds.
The University of San Diego’s Master’s Entry Program in Nursing has a Big Brother/Big Sister program in which all entering students are paired with a second- or third-year MEPN student who acts as a mentor.
Financial assistance can be a trickier subject. Master’s entry students are often ineligible for scholarships that are available to traditional BSN students. However, once MEPN students complete their pre-specialty work and enter the master’s phase of the program, they usually have the same opportunities as other MSN students. [Editor’s Note: The Minority Nurse Magazine Scholarship Program recently expanded its eligibility criteria to include students in MEPN programs.]
“Almost all of our students have to take out some loans for the first year of the program because they really can’t work,” says Sally Hardin, PhD, RN, FAAN, dean of the University of San Diego’s Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science. “We have a large grant from the Dickinson Foundation which is focused specifically on the MEPN program, and we have a series of loans and endowments that also are used to help the MEPN students. We’ve also just introduced a paid externship for students in the last semester of the program. We work with students and local clinical agencies so the externship can be done in a place the students choose, where they would like to get more clinical experience or think they might want to work.”
Although master’s entry nursing programs aren’t for everyone, they are continuing to gain popularity as an option to help increase cultural diversity in the nursing profession. Not only do they open doors to people who might not have the time or inclination to follow the traditional BSN route, they are also increasing minority and male students’ access to advanced practice nursing careers as clinicians, researchers and educators.
Despite the sacrifices involved, MEPN students all seem to agree that these accelerated programs are helping them fulfill what has become their mission in life. “You wouldn’t be in [this program] if you didn’t really want to be an advanced practice nurse,” says Clefondrus Ashford. “I knew this was my calling. I’m in it because that’s where my heart is.”
So you’ve decided to go to graduate school. Great! Now all you have to do is figure out how you are going to pay for it. This can be a daunting task. The cost of graduate education has skyrocketed at universities across the nation and advanced degrees in the allied health disciplines are no exception. But the amount of financial aid available has also increased to a record $74 billion. Your goal is to figure out how to tap into this huge resource. As with most things, there are no easy answers. The cost of graduate education, the types of aid available and the resources available change from discipline to discipline, state-to-state and school-to-school.
However, the task will be far less daunting if you can break it into its parts. Here are a series of questions and answers designed to give you a brief overview and some quick guidelines for seeking financial aid for graduate education. Think of it as a starting point. The rest of the work is up to you. But it’s work well worth the effort.
I allready applied for financial aid as an undergraduate. Will it be any different applying for aid in Graduate School?
The application process really isn’t any different, but there are differences in what’s available. Pell Grants (the largest federal grant program) and other federal grant programs are not available to graduate students. Though it varies from state-to-state, graduate students are usually ineligible for grants from the state as well. However, as a graduate student you may be eligible to a source of funding not available to your less learned associates: graduate assistantships. These often come with a tuition waiver and a small stipend (usually around $2,500 per semester).
One more thing to keep in mind: parent information will not be taken into consideration when applying for financial aid. By virtue of a bachelor’s degree, you are considered independent, even if you still live at home.
What will my graduate degree cost?
As you might expect, the cost of a graduate education varies greatly depending on the degree you are seeking, the institution you are attending and the state were it resides. And remember, you need to think about more than tuition and fees when calculating education cost. There are the books and lab supplies that you must buy in addition to expenses for food, shelter and transportation—all of which you must pay for without the benefit of a full-time job. The financial aid or admissions office at the school you plan on attending can tell you what the cost of tuition and books will be. Cost of living information can be gathered from such Web sites as www.homefair.com and www.yahoo.com, but the best sources for this information are friends or family who already live in the area. Graduate education does not come cheap. Experts contacted for this article gave figures ranging between $30,000 and $60,000 for the total cost of a graduate education in an allied health field; perhaps significantly higher at very prestigious private institutions.
What types of financial aid are available?
There are dozens of potential ways to fund your graduate education ranging from scholarships and fellowships to employer assistance. Below are the highlights of a few of the more prominent methods to help you get started in your search.
Scholarships and Fellowships
Both scholarships and fellowships do not have to be repaid. Scholarships typically cover all or part of tuition and fees. Fellowships cover tuition and fees and include a stipend to cover a good portion of your living expenses as well. Institutional scholarships and fellowships are offered through most graduate schools. These are usually based on financial need and/or academic performance. At some institutions, scholarships and fellowships will last for your entire stay in graduate school; at others, you must reapply each year. Since this is free money, the competition is often fierce, but it never hurts to try.
And don’t stop your search at the college or program you plan on attending. A major source of both scholarships and fellowships often overlooked by students is third-party aid. Each year, graduate students receive millions of dollars in aid from religious organizations, foundations, labor unions, businesses and local groups. Students and professional organizations connected with your field of study are another good source.
These scholarships and fellowships may be given based on ethnicity, academic achievement, hobbies, talents or a combination thereof. In addition, national fellowships are available, such as the Fulbright, National Research Foundation and National Science Foundation. Information for each can be found on their respective Web sites. (See Sidebar).
Grants
Like fellowships and scholarships, grants are a form of financial aid that does not have to be repaid. But unlike scholarships and fellowships, they are only need-based, and they are given out by the federal or state government. Of specific concern to you, graduate students are ineligible for federal grants as well as virtually all state grant programs. Check with the financial aid officer at the school you plan on attending to be sure.
Assistantships
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Many graduate students become teaching or research assistants. Teaching assistants help professors by teaching labs, grading papers and meeting with undergraduates. Research assistants oversee labs and assist professors on projects. In exchange, assistantships provide stipends and/or tuition reimbursement. In some programs assistantships are awarded to every student, in others they are awarded according to academic performance. Not all graduate programs offer assistantships, especially in programs were the terminal degree (the minimum degree needed to work as a professional) is a master’s or above.
Employer Assistance
Occasionally, your current employer will pay for all or part of your graduate education, as long you can show that your coursework will contribute to the goals of the company. Within some high-demand fields, even if you’re not currently employed, you might be able to find an employer who will agree to pay for all or part of your post-graduate education if you sign an agreement to work for them for a specified amount of time upon graduation. Check with your supervisor or the human resources department at your current place of employment. It never hurts to ask.
Student Loans
Most graduate students must take out student loans to pay for at least part of their education. Loans fall into two categories: subsidized (loans awarded on the basis of need, which do not accumulate interest before you begin repayment) and unsubsidized (loans that accumulate interest from the time you receive them until they’re paid in full). There are a variety of loans available to graduate students including Stafford, Perkins and Federal Family Education loans, among others. To find out which ones you qualify for and which ones best serve your needs and purposes, see your local financial aid administrator.
How much can (and should) I borrow?
Graduate students are eligible to borrow $8,500 of subsidized or unsubsidized Stafford Loans and up to an additional $10,000 of unsubsidized Stafford loans per academic year. For their entire graduate education, graduate students may borrow up to $138,500. If you qualify for Federal Perkins Loans, you can borrow up to $5,000 each year and $30,000 total. The answer to how much you should borrow is easy: As little as possible. Even at reduced interest rates, student loans can be a huge burden after you graduate. With that in mind, only borrow when you need to and then borrow only what is necessary. Don’t fall into the trap of borrowing extra money to pay for the car or vacation you always wanted. There will be plenty of time to buy those things after you get out of school and land your first job. Most financial aid offices have online student loan calculators that will take into account such factors as amount borrowed, interest rate, and the estimated salary for your profession and tell you what your payments will be, the cost of your total payments and what you can afford. (See www.finaid.org, for an example of these calculators.)
Where do I get started?
Simply make an appointment with the financial aid office of the school you plan on attending. Applying for financial aid can be an intimidating and confusing task, and it’s nice to have an expert help guide you through the process. But you should also do a little research on your own. All of the information available to your financial aid officer is available to you on the Web. Or visit the financial aid Web site of the school you plan on attending for information or financial aid options specific to your program and state. One way or another, the money is out there to pay for your graduate education. Ultimately, it’s up to you to go out and find it.
