The Heart of Healthcare Nursing Scholarship is Now Closed
Nurses are the backbone of the healthcare industry, keepers of the Nightingale Pledge, and members of one of the most trusted and valued professions in the world. Their work constantly elevates the delivery of healthcare services, improving patient safety, promoting wellness, improving access to care, reducing healthcare costs, and doing it all while ensuring the best possible patient outcomes.
Whether you’re earning your first degree in nursing, or your next one, your efforts are part of something bigger, advancing the nursing profession itself while ensuring everyone gets the kind of care we’d all want our own family and friends to have access to. It’s a noble profession, and one that attracts people with purpose.
Update
Who is Eligible?
Any recently accepted or currently enrolled student in a CCNE or ACEN-accredited BSN, MSN or DNP program in any concentration or specialty area of nursing. Both pre-licensure and post-licensure programs are acceptable at any level.
All current undergraduate and graduate students who have completed at least one semester/quarter must provide proof of having a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 in their program so far.
All recently accepted BSN students must provide proof of being accepted into a qualifying program. Pre-licensure BSN students must provide proof of having a minimum cumulative high school GPA of 3.5, while post-licensure BSN students must show a 3.5 GPA in their associate’s program.
All recently accepted graduate students must provide proof of being accepted into a qualifying graduate program and must provide proof of having a minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.5.
Scholarship Application Requirements
You will need to submit just two things to meet the scholarship application requirements:
- Complete application form with verifiably true and accurate information
- 100% original essay that addresses the topic described below (2,500 words or less)
If your essay is selected, we will contact you using the email you provide on the application and request the following documentation to verify you meet the eligibility requirements:
- Proof of enrollment or acceptance in a qualifying BSN, MSN or DNP program (letter of acceptance or another verifiable document with university letterhead)
- Proof of meeting minimum GPA requirements (transcript summary or another verifiable document with university letterhead)
Any false or inaccurate information on the application form or plagiarized content on the essay would be grounds for immediate disqualification.
Essay Topic
The coronavirus pandemic has made some nurses preparing for frontline roles re-evaluate their professional goals. Whether you’re working toward a career in nursing or you’re already part of this honorable profession, these recent events have certainly given you a lot to think about.
In what ways has the coronavirus pandemic influenced your career choices in nursing? Perhaps it’s solidified what you already knew: delivering care at the bedside is where you belong. Or maybe it’s inspired you to move to a position outside of direct patient care.
Tell us, in 2,500 words or less, how the coronavirus pandemic has caused you to reconsider your career choices, or how it has simply reaffirmed them. We’re excited to hear what you have to say.
Selecting the Winner
Our staff will review all applications and essays that meet the basic requirements and select a winner based strictly on the strength of the essay.
The essay topic is all about your personal experience and your own subjective thoughts and opinions, so naturally there is some subjectivity to our selection process. This means that everyone with a qualifying GPA who is enrolled in or has been accepted to a qualifying program has an equal shot at winning, regardless of background, employment history, or extracurriculars. We feel this is the most equitable way to approach the selection process.
We know that all applicants are worthy of the award, but we’re limited to choosing just one winner per year.
Announcing the Winner
We will start by contacting the winner by phone or email to deliver the good news. At that time, we will ask for proof of current enrollment and transcripts covering the period of time that passed since submitting the application.
If the selected recipient is unable to supply the required documentation, or if the GPA has dropped below 3.5 since submitting the application, we reserve the right to rescind the award and give it to another applicant.
We will ask the winner to provide a picture of themselves along with a few words that we will publish right here on BestNursingDegree.com.
We will then make our official announcement to share the good news with our readers.
Non-Discrimination Policy
BestNursingDegree.com does not discriminate based on age, race, sex, religion, disability status or sexual orientation. All qualified applicants are given equal consideration and are assessed strictly based on the strength of their essay. It is at the sole discretion of our staff to select the applicant we feel best exemplifies the traits and values of a great nurse.
Introducing our 2019 Winner: Robynelle!
Robynelle is the 2019 winner of our Heart of Healthcare Nursing Scholarship, and we are so excited to introduce her to you! She was chosen because she is truly the heart of healthcare—she wants to help underserved populations get the mental healthcare they need, but often can’t access. While working as a clinical mental health therapist, she came to realize that nurses are the ones often serving as the go-between for underserved people and medical providers. Thanks to this, Robynelle decided to go back to school to get her nursing degree.
Currently a student at Oregon Health & Science University, Robynelle has two semesters left before she begins her doctoral program. She believes that if we take the time to get to know people—even if they’re from a different community than we are or are living with a mental illness or addiction we don’t have—we’ll see that they are not that different from us. When she finishes her schooling, Robynelle hopes to move to a rural area to become the kind of nurse everyone truly wants: a nurse who listens.
We are proud to grant the Heart of Healthcare Scholarship to Robynelle and other amazing future nurses every year. We look forward to helping nursing students achieve their dreams of making the world a healthier and kinder place.
View Previous Scholarship Winners
You can find more information on scholarships for nursing students here.