Evidence-based practice is at the heart of nursing—and most of that evidence is based on quantitative research. For nurses who are merely competent in math, though, interpreting the numbers can be a challenge. And if your own facility with statistics is middling, trying to mentor semi-numerate DNP students may leave you feeling helpless at times.
Help is on the way. On May 19, data analysis expert James Lani, Ph.D., MS is hosting a free webinar specifically aimed at faculty members who mentor graduate students for dissertation, thesis, or scholarly projects and are seeking to take their command of statistics to the next level to better guide those students.
Dr. Lani, the CEO of Intellectus Statistics, has been helping faculty and graduate students with their quantitative research for over two decades.
In his upcoming webinar session, Dr. Lani will use mock data to work through faculty and students’ research questions, prepare and graph data, select and conduct the correct statistical analyses, and demonstrate how to appropriately present results. He will also cover sample size and power analysis, data management, and visualization techniques, and at the end of the presentation, he can even provide faculty with project-specific help.
James Lani holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, an MS in Psychology with an emphasis in Experimental Methods from California State University Long Beach, a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, and minors in Mathematics and Human Services from California State University, Fullerton.
Who can attend: Faculty members in nursing, social work, counseling, public health, psychology, and health administration at any stage of their research or faculty who mentor students’ research as they pursue their degree (i.e., Dissertations, DNP Project for Nurses, Fieldwork and Supervision for Behavior Analysts, etc.)
Technology changes in the proverbial blink of an eye. Working and teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic has proven how much it will be used in the field in both practice as well as nursing education.
Julie Stegman, Vice President, Nursing Segment of Health Learning, Research & Practice at Wolters Kluwer, took time to answer our questions about their survey, Future of Technology in Nursing Education.
Why did you decide to conduct this survey? What did you hope to learn from it?
As technology advances, and more and more people have access to computers and smartphones, tech is augmenting almost every workforce. Nursing is no exception. We originated our first survey around technology usage and adoption in Nursing Education five years ago to understand how rapidly nursing programs were implementing technology as part of the education process. Technology helps nursing educators prepare students for practice so they can deliver the best care to patients everywhere, and today’s students have an expectation for a dynamic and multi-modal learning experience.
We decided to refresh our survey this year to understand the shifts in education related to the COVID-19 global pandemic and beyond. We surveyed nursing deans, program directors, and faculty to identify their plans for technology usage, adoption, and investment during the next five years and explore the barriers and opportunities related to those plans.
What are the most important results of the survey? What does this say about the future of nursing education?
Some of the results of the survey were predictable: over the last year and a half, there’s been a massive transition from in-person learning to virtual learning, with some 73% of institutions going fully online at the start of the pandemic, and another 22% adopting a hybrid model.
Though the adoption of virtual simulation and other technologies were already in play in nursing education before COVID, the pandemic greatly accelerated it out of necessity. Some 48% of respondents say they plan to invest more in virtual simulation during the next 2 years, with virtual simulation reaching full adoption by 2025.
Overall findings of the survey point to a “classroom of the future” that is hybrid, geared for digital learners with emerging and existing technologies.
How did the study work?
For our Future of Technology in Nursing Education survey, Wolters Kluwer carried out six in-depth interviews with qualified nursing respondents in August 2020, followed by a quantitative online survey sent out in December 2020. The purpose of the study was to understand technology trends. The online survey, done in collaboration with the National League for Nursing, was sent to a list of nursing administrators, faculty, and Deans provided by the National League for Nursing, yielding 450 responses.
The opinions of these respondents were critical to capture because they represent real nursing education leaders making a difference in the world of nursing education today. No one can better speak to both the day-to-day circumstances and the long-term technological trends than these respondents, and we are very pleased with our sampling.
What survey results surprised you the most?
As we showed with our previous survey, nursing education continues to be an area of early adoption of technology. This has been particularly evident in simulation learning, including research into the value and effectiveness of this learning modality. Our survey continued to reinforce this shift, with nurse educators looking ahead to fuller scale adoption of technologies as well as a continued interest in emerging technologies.
I was most surprised that the incredible shift to online learning we experienced during COVID-19 is anticipated to continue with three in ten (31%) educators saying their programs will offer the same number of online courses, and 39% indicating their program will offer more online courses.
What are the three key barriers that the survey showed are barriers to the adoption of technology? Any ideas how the nursing field can overcome them?
Various factors are hindering tech adoption in nursing education, including a lack of funding and lack of technology infrastructure. Another difficulty nursing education is facing as a side effect of increased tech adoption is faculty who may be resistant or slow to change their approach to teaching, with many faculty members opting to retire and leave the workforce. This has the potential to exacerbate an existing shortage in nursing faculty. We need to remedy this shortage to ensure that all qualified applicants can enter nursing school and become practice-ready nurses to mitigate and meet the anticipated patient demand.
COVID-19 has shown us that learning technologies need to be in place to continue to provide the best possible nursing education in the face of unpredictable learning environments, as well as address many pre-existing challenges educators faced with clinical learning. We anticipate that the pandemic and the associated shifts in learning and teaching approaches will also force a shift in funding which will help address previous hurdles as many of these solutions move from “nice to have” technologies to those that are necessary within nursing schools.
To address the gap in nursing education as a result of recent waves of retirements, we need to ensure educating future nurses is seen as critical to the nursing profession and address the challenges that create this faculty shortage. This includes compensation differences in clinical roles vs. education and ensuring that masters and doctoral programs can also increase acceptance of applicants. In addition, it’s critical to ensure that future educators are familiar with and embrace the benefits that educational technologies can bring to the learning process.
Ultimately, the #1 goal for nurses is to provide the best care to patients, everywhere and in any care setting. This begins with education and it’s essential that nursing faculty and students have the tools available to empower them to be ready to enter the workforce. The Dean’s Survey helps us understand which technologies are likely to drive this momentum, and where we can continue developing solutions to help prepare practice-ready nurses.
Henderson, who specializes in psychiatric nursing and nursing in the community, says looking at nursing through the lens of community health competencies is a critical component of comprehensive nursing education.
Community Health in Nursing Education
Although Henderson says community health is covered in nursing education, the standards in place don’t reveal how often or how well community health and public health nursing competencies are covered in individual programs. Sometimes it’s just as one course or an elective course.
“We argue in the report that these areas of community health, public health, social determinants, and population health need to be comprehensively threaded throughout the curriculum,” Henderson says, “so it’s not an add-on. It’s baked in fundamentally into everything we do in our nursing practice.” As nursing education changes, schools and students will begin to collaborate more across disciplines.
Changing how nursing is taught and how students gain experience means more nursing students need to spend time working in various community settings. Nurses learn best through experiential learning, says Henderson, especially with community-based social issues. “Put students in the community and put students in settings where they are finding experts,” he says. And when students find the specialty that appeals to them, letting nurses deviate from the typical path will get them started quickly. “Telling nurses they need one to two years of med-surge under their belts is unnecessary,” says Henderson, “and we have to stop perpetuating that.”
Experience in the Right Settings
For nurses who know they aren’t interested in a med-surge path, those two years could be better spent gaining targeted skills. Immersing themselves with on-site community health work strengthens their commitment to the role.
“Without that kind of immersion, you are reinforcing stereotypes because what you read is not contextualized by what happens,” says Henderson. For instance, he says, nurses may read that “because you’re African American, you’re more at risk for ‘A'” or “because you live in this community, you’re more at risk for ‘Y.'” It’s not contextualized as to why any health impacts are happening, he says.
Nursing education depends on nurses understanding the socioeconomic influences of disease. Henderson says nurses who are immersed in a community may see that patients lack access to green spaces to exercise or may not feel safe in their neighborhood. They may see patients don’t have easy and affordable access to healthy foods.
“The context is the patients don’t live in a community that sets them up to eat healthy, exercise, and take care of themselves to reduce the risk for something like diabetes,” he says. “It has nothing to do with them being African American and has to do more with community conditions. You have to see that and experience it.” Henderson, whose own career was deeply influenced by his early work in community health, says nurses can’t address the health needs in a community without addressing the social needs. “The community is the teacher,” he says. “We go into a community with preconceived notions. But patient-centered care is community-centered care.”
Reading something in a book gives nursing students a theoretical background, but going out into the community, often sparks a passion about uncovering a solution to the root causes of some of the issues patients are facing. “There are downstream effects of that,” says Henderson.
Shift in Nursing Education
As nursing education changes to a community focus, nursing students will need faculty leaders who can talk to them about how to change approaches to tasks like screenings.
“One of the biggest hurdles is getting students out of the mindset of I have to get out to do a specific task,” he says. “It’s about what kinds of conversations are you having during the screening when you’re checking someone’s eyes. Are you learning about their home life? In community public health, you’re exploring the issues that are surrounding their lives and the issues that impact their wellness so you can focus on intervention and prevention.” Nursing students have to be taught about it in their classroom work so they can merge their knowledge and hands-on experience to examine the root causes of illness differently.
Workforce Preparation and Qualification
People want to work in the settings they are exposed to, says Henderson, so nursing students should work in settings that let them see a nurse’s role in schools, correctional facilities, public libraries, preschools, community health centers, homeless shelters, and public housing, and learn from the experts who work in those settings.
Sometimes, says Henderson, the best professional to explain those topics are the ones on the front lines, like the social workers or school counselors who see people for issues that might not be related to an immediate health concern, but that most certainly impact health. With a chronic nursing faculty shortage, allowing educators who don’t have a nursing degree might help fill some gaps in staffing and course content, he says.
Henderson says the Future of Nursing Report calls for including curriculum topics around nursing policy, structural racism, and health equity to help nurses over their entire careers.
And, Henderson says, the report also advocates for nursing schools to address racism in society and within its own professional structures. “Nursing as a profession for a long time hasn’t addressed how racism has impacted our own profession,” says Henderson. “We say in this report we want to go out and do all this good and improve health equity, but we still have to clean our own house a little bit and examine how nurses of color are still discriminated against within our own schools and our own workplaces. And we talk about that in this report and that’s crucial.”
Higher education also must take a new look at its environment. “Schools of nursing need to acknowledge the impact of structural racism has within their own institution and how that disadvantages nursing students and faculty of color,” says Henderson. “That means critical examination of curriculum policy practices, curriculum strategies, and how they allocate resources. Who has the power and what do those dynamics look like?”
Diversity and Equity
A diverse, inclusive, and equitable nursing environment needs to be clearly defined. “Many people say diversity and think just by being diverse, we are equitable,” Henderson says. “But that’s not the case. You can be diverse but not equitable. You can have diverse people at the table, but it’s not equitable if they aren’t valued and their voices aren’t heard.” Lots of groups are recognizing that, says Henderson, but now they have to decide how to act on it and raise awareness about it.
Continually advocating for change in nursing and working to keep uncomfortable conversations ongoing and productive encompasses topics both new and historic, says Henderson, and is the focus of the next decades of nursing education. “It’s about who is having these conversations,” he says. “If we keep having the same people at the table, we won’t get far.”
Nursing education is the foundational pillar that enables future nurses to become competent and knowledgeable in their respective practices. This education was normally provided to nursing students through various didactic theoretical lectures and practical clinical training but recently, the use of advanced simulation technology as an adjunct educational tool has slowly become a significant addition to student centric learning.
History of Simulation
The concept of simulation practice can be traced back to the fields of military, aviation, and nuclear power (with military having used simulation the longest), dating back to the 18th century. Simulation was initially created as a cost-effective strategy for training professionals because it was considered exorbitant to train in these areas in the real world. As the years progressed however, the healthcare profession realized the practicality and usefulness of incorporating advanced simulation technology into educational practice and as a result, spurred the growing movement of simulation in healthcare training settings and educational establishments around the world.
The Impact of Simulation on Nursing Students
The emergence of computer technology has led to the development of innovative tools for healthcare professionals such as simulation technology and patient simulators Simulation technologies have had a profound effect on the nursing profession because it allows nursing students to apply their recently learned skills and knowledge to solve real life scenarios in a safe and structured setting.
In a typical simulation session, two students are often asked to participate and mimic the roles of a registered nurse or a certified nurse assistant (CNA). The rest of the remaining students are then asked to go to a separate room and observe the scenario through a one-way mirror and a live video stream. At the start of the session, the facilitator usually gives report on the patient, which allows the students to familiarize themselves with the patient’s situation, history, charts, and medications in order to successfully manage and implement high quality nursing care for the patient. As the simulation progresses, the facilitator controls the patient’s prognosis and provides cues to the team to enhance the realism of the situation. Once the simulation is completed, the students are then asked to head back to the debriefing room to discuss their experiences.
During the debriefing session, the students learn through self-reflection, group interaction, and questions asked by the facilitator. The use of group discussion engages students in reflective learning and enables the group members to consider a situation from multiple perspectives and consider other alternatives in order to broaden their scope of practice and clinical understanding. By performing simulation scenarios on a regular basis, students are able to develop better critical thinking skills, decision-making abilities, and application of theoretical knowledge in real-life situations.
Facilitating Simulation into Nursing Practice
According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), approximately 98,000 people die every year from medical errors in U.S. hospitals, and a significant number of those deaths are associated with medication errors. This means that adverse events affect nearly 1 of 10 patients in the hospital setting. Based on this staggering number, the IOM called for a systematic change in healthcare practices and identified simulation practice as a resource to address the needed reform. By fostering experiential learning, simulation ingrains good nursing habits early, while discouraging bad nursing habits from forming before it becomes second nature.
In addition to allowing individuals to hone their nursing skills, simulation has also proven to increase student confidence and self-efficacy once they transition into the clinical setting. Nursing efficacy is an important aspect in nursing practice because it gives the students the confidence required to provide excellent nursing care to their patients. By incorporating what they have learned in simulation, more students are self-reliant in their capabilities, which are invaluable in ensuring that patient safety is implemented in the hospital setting.
Implications for Future Nursing Practice and Further Study
The shortage of availability of clinical sites is quickly becoming the norm for many nursing schools due to changing healthcare reform and the struggling economic crisis. One solution to combat the shortage of clinical sites however is to utilize simulation practice to replicate essential aspects of clinical situations for beginning nursing students. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing is currently conducting a landmark, longitudinal study to examine the knowledge and clinical competency outcomes of students when simulation technology is used in the place of actual clinical experiences. Although calls for additional research in these areas need to be performed, simulation is still quickly gaining momentum as the gold standard for effective learning practice in nursing education.
Often, minority nurses are encouraged to pursue more education so that they can advance in their careers. Going into deep debt to finance that education, though, isn’t always a smart move. Fortunately, there is scholarship money available for nurses who go after it. Unfortunately, the hunt for funds can be daunting.
Six scholarship-savvy nursing students, financial aid pros, award grantees, and thought leaders offer their advice and insights. Follow it and win the funds you deserve. It works for scholarships (e.g., merit-based awards), grants (e.g., needs-based awards), and fellowships (for graduate students, and either merit- or needs-based).
Austin Nation, RN, PHN, MSN PhD student at University of California–San Francisco School of Nursing
What’s your greatest scholarship success?
I just did a workshop, a “Scholarships 101,” because people found out that I was able to pay for most of my graduate education, and now my PhD, with awards. In the past, I garnered enough scholarship monies to get the down payment for a house! If students are also interested in teaching, there’s a lot of need and money available. I now have a stipend that’s routed directly to me, which is ideal. Before that, I was using credit cards to pay for financial aid. Remember, besides tuition and books, there are living expenses you need to cover, like housing and food.
What are the best resources for finding scholarships for students?
Look for departmental, college-wide, and university-wide scholarships. There’s a goldmine at the local level, and then at the professional and cultural organizations. Corporations, like Pepsi and Coke, may have scholarships. Also, go after scholarships for people with disabilities—which could mean being the first generation in your family to go to college.
Do you have any advice for nursing students about the whole process?
Just mining this stuff is almost like a little part-time job. The scholarship application period is in April of each year. Cast a wide net; my goal was always to do 10 to 15 applications a year, which seemed to yield the best results. Recently, the fifteenth application I sent out was the one I got. It was federal funding for a minority student that’s good for five years. (It’s capped at $30,000 or $40,000 a year, based on the state.) I’m graduating in June of next year and going back to get additional certification. This program will pick up the tab, so why not?
Are there any tactics you employ to stand out from the competition?
The cornerstone of an application is the personal statement. What makes me a good applicant? Who am I? What have I done in the community? My specialty area and who I am as a person are very specific. I’m a male nurse. I’m a queer nurse. I’m a nurse doing work in HIV. Disclosing my background and status isn’t easy. I’m the first person in my family to go to college. My dad has only a fourth-grade education. That may be embarrassing, but that’s who I am. That’s where I came from. It’s a reflection of my character and how I’ve dealt with adverse circumstances.
Jake Schubert, RN, BSN Founder of the nurse licensure prep site www.nursity.com and a travel nurse
What’s your greatest scholarship success?
I won a scholarship provided by a woman’s club made up of wives of university faculty. Very few men applied. When shown a list provided by the university of available scholarships, most men would say, “Oh, it’s a woman’s club…” But you have to put yourself out there—the club was for women, but their scholarship was for anyone. They were glad I applied because most men don’t, and guess which application stood out?
What are the best resources for finding scholarships for students?
Do ask what is available at different institutions you’re looking to attend. But don’t stop there. I know a student who got a 50% offer at a private school and a 100% ride at a state school. He wrote the private school a polite letter, explained his preference and the situation, then asked, “would you consider giving me 100%?” They gave it to him and called his mom to say how amazing he was, and how they’d never had anyone ask for more aid before.
Reach out to organizations of various kinds. Many have scholarships, though they might not be publicized. They may be discretionary, instead, based on a faculty member’s recommendation. I won a university scholarship that wasn’t even listed and wasn’t available to the public—all based on my relationships with the faculty at my university.
Do you have any advice for nursing students about the whole process?
You have to get in the game. Many people are reluctant to apply because they’re afraid of failure. A lot of times people think they’re going to get a full-ride scholarship that will take them all the way through school. It doesn’t work that way. Most are only $500 to $3,500. Think not of winning one, but of winning lots of scholarships; they add up over time. Once you apply for one, it’s easier to apply for the second, and when you get to the fifth application it’s almost a piece of cake. You can just recycle parts of other applications.
Are there any tactics you employ to stand out from the competition?
Look for what makes you remarkable and highlight that trait or activity. It doesn’t have to be the standard nursing things. One applicant I know used to be a music producer, and that stood out. But be careful not to spread your message too thin—pick one or two activities and dive in; invest time and energy in those. Take a leadership role and show your passion and commitment. Focus on one really rich experience on your application and weed out the minor ones. For example, when I was in nursing school I had written an article to highlight the work of a physician I admired and worked with. At my first job interview, that magazine issue was on the nurse manager’s desk. I casually mentioned, “Have you read my article…?” At my second interview, another manager greeted me with “So… we read your article.” That made a remarkable difference. That’s not why I wrote the article, but it showed that I’m engaged in the community. I’m not somebody who will take the money and run and never be seen or heard from again.
Brittney Wilson, RN, BSN “The Nerdy Nurse” author, social media influencer, and blogger at thenerdynurse.com
Do you have any advice for nursing students about the whole process?
My best piece of advice for nursing scholarships is to apply for everything. You often hear people joke to “vote early and vote often.” This actually does apply to scholarships. Apply early and apply often. Even if you’re not 100% sure you’re the perfect fit for the scholarship or don’t feel you meet the right demographics, go ahead and give it a shot. Unless the guidelines specifically exclude you, then you should assume they include you.
Are there any tactics you suggest to stand out from the competition?
I would also suggest to apply to scholarships that aren’t just for nursing students. Because nurses hold such a strong place in many hearts and are constantly voted as the most trustworthy profession, you may have an edge over other candidates for more general scholarships. You’ll also likely be competing with fewer nursing students and have an ability to stand out. Applying for scholarships that you wouldn’t think would be a good fit could actually give you an edge and let you stand out against other applicants.
Donna Cardillo, RN, MA “The Inspiration Nurse” keynote speaker, author, and columnist at donnacardillo.com
What’s your greatest scholarship success?
Free money is the best kind of money. Some scholarships will even give you money for living expenses. I was going to have to drop out, but I got that scholarship for the next year. I was recommended for the scholarship by a professor at school. Community and women’s groups sometimes contact the school and ask for the name of a deserving student. In this case, they wanted to find a community leader. I’d talked to this professor about my personal and financial situation, so she recommended me. Share your story. People want to help and support you.
Do you have any advice for nursing students about the whole process?
The more you apply, the better your chances of getting money. Every scholarship has different criteria. Some are for entry to practice, some are for advanced levels. Don’t get hung up on meeting all the criteria. You have to cast your net wide if you’re going to catch some fish. Try ethnic community associations, like the Hispanic American Club, in addition to ethnic nursing associations. It’s worth making the scholarship search a part-time job. Contact your state chapter of the American Nurses Association and ask if there’s anyone there who can help you with scholarship information. Ask at the financial aid office, too. Ask a librarian for resources, such as the current edition of Peterson’s Scholarships, Grants and Prizes. Remember, if you don’t ask, you don’t get. Make as much effort to apply for scholarships as to apply to school.
Are there any tactics you suggest to stand out from the competition?
Read the questions carefully and tailor your application to match, each time. Learn how to write a good essay. They don’t know you, so you have to convince them. Don’t hesitate to share your difficulties; for instance, a background as a single parent or with an illness. People want to be touched, moved. “Oh, I don’t want to go into that,” students say, but it’s important to tell your personal story.
I know many people who’ve financed their whole education through scholarships and grants. When I went to graduate school, I had literally no money. I presumed I’d apply for student loans and pay them off the rest of my life. I applied for a scholarship that I didn’t qualify for because I wasn’t taking enough credits. (I was only taking one course a semester.) In my application, I explained that I wanted to take a full course load but had to work and care for a family, so I couldn’t fit it all in without financial support. I was awarded a special scholarship that year because of my circumstances.
Cynthia J. Hickman, RN, BSN, MSN/Ed PhD student, established the Cynthia J. Hickman “Pay It Forward” Nursing Scholarship
What’s your greatest scholarship success?
I received the Johnson & Johnson [Community Health Care Leadership] award while working for St. Luke’s hospital [in Houston, Texas]; someone suggested I “pay it forward.” My way of making the world a better place is to help others complete their education toward the goal of becoming a registered nurse. Students must have the first two years, and the scholarship is for the last two. The scholarships at the national and local Black Nurses Association are for $1,000; however, they have not been active the past few years. When my foundation application and nonprofit status has been complete, I plan to make them available back to my organizations. The scholarship at St. Luke’s is self-renewing, for $2,000 or whatever is the interest for that year. Recipients are encouraged to pay it forward when they graduate. I want to expand the scholarship to high schools—Houston has health services focused schools and some are already offering college courses.
Do you have any advice for nursing students about the whole process?
The scholarship search turns many people off—they see the scholarship application and what they ask for, put it aside and say “No.” I tried to make it easier to apply by talking to other schools and looking at their guidelines. Once I ascertained that, I knew I didn’t have to include certain questions, for instance GPA. Nursing schools require a 2.5 GPA.
Are there any tactics you suggest to stand out from the competition?
Do a dummy application before the real one. You have to be able to write. It’s not as hard to write if you pick your passion. If I applied for an engineering degree I’d have difficulty, but I’m a nurse so I can write with passion about that. Examples are everything. I always wrote about early on, when I was a lifeguard, and saved a life. That job turned into my career in nursing. Safety is part of both fields; be someone who thinks beyond the obvious.Q: Are there any tactics you employ to narrow down applications for a winner?
Be dedicated, focused, and pay attention to instructions—that’s very important. Complete the application. As a nurse, you have to complete things. Someone’s life is at stake; you can’t half do it. I’ve heard about application review committees who break up into teams. One team looks only for completions. Another team looks only for errors. They may start with 3,000 applications, but quickly narrow it down to 150. Each scholarship committee has its own specific criteria. Mine is community service; you have to show a history of community service. If you’re a pediatric nurse, that’s great, but then do something else outside of that. If they’ve had breast cancer, then volunteer for that cause. Now you’ve added another layer of expertise based on your personal experience and passion.
Maria Elena C. De Guzman Student funding coordinator at University of California–San Francisco School of Nursing
What’s your greatest scholarship success story?
The greatest success story I’ve encountered so far is from one of our students who is a single parent with a daughter who is also in school. She’s a minority student and is the first in her family to attend a university. She came to my office to get counseled on how to improve on her scholarship applications since she has not been very successful. After that visit, she received a number of awards. Her success was about not so much the amount of scholarship money she received, but how she managed to overcome the personal challenges in her life, with funding being one of them. She was then able to focus more on her studies.
What are the best resources for finding scholarships for students?
Start with your school. Then there are professional organizations, employers, and organizations related to cultural or ethnic backgrounds. I don’t know if something similar is available for undergraduate students, but the UCSF COS [Community of Science] Pivot database that we offer our graduate students is one of the best and most comprehensive. It covers funding opportunities for most disciplines from federal agencies, and private U.S. as well as international foundations. It alerts users every time a new funding opportunity comes up related to their discipline or area of interest. It also has a tool for research networking—quite cool!
Do you have any advice for nursing students about the whole process?
Make sure you meet all the eligibility criteria. Take your time, and do your research when applying for scholarships and grants because they are competitive. After spending time and effort writing an application, use it as a template for other applications. Apply to as many scholarships as possible, including those that are not just for minorities. There are substantial amounts of free money available, but scholarships and grants are always competitive, which is why preparation is so important. Be aware that there are some “free” monies which are not really free because there are commitments attached. These need careful consideration.
Continue to gain experience at work or in school, and do your share for the community by volunteering. Whether the money comes from private or public sources, other people have contributed to put up the scholarship. Your education is a gift that will enable you not only to help improve your life, but also to make a more meaningful contribution for others to succeed as well.
Help is on the way. On May 19, data analysis expert James Lani, Ph.D., MS is hosting a free webinar specifically aimed at faculty members who mentor graduate students for dissertation, thesis, or scholarly projects and are seeking to take their command of statistics to the next level to better guide those students.
