Miami Shores, Fla. – Barry University’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences was awarded $1,205,091 for graduate nursing students from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The purpose of the loan program is to increase the number of qualified nursing faculty and help facilitate nursing education to address America’s nursing workforce shortage.
A nurse accepted into the Nurse Faculty Loan Program can expect an 85 percent forgiveness policy, meaning only 15 percent of the loan would be paid back, if they begin teaching as a full-time faculty member at any college or university, including Barry, after graduation for up to four years.
Since 2009, the HRSA grant has allowed more than 200 nurses to return to school for their master’s and doctoral degrees who would otherwise not have been able to. This year 30 nurses will be afforded the same opportunity to earn their doctoral degree in nursing.
“The need for professional registered nurses continues to grow,” said Dr. John McFadden, dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Barry. “The limiting factor is the shortage of qualified faculty. The NFLP directly addresses the shortage. As always, I am proud of our faculty for making this program available to our graduate nursing students again. For so many students, it makes the difference between being able to engage in graduate studies or not.”
Jessie Colin, PhD, RN, FAAN, is a professor and program director in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences who wrote the grant proposal. She explains this grant serves as a catalyst to motivate nurses to apply and help decrease the nurse faculty shortage both in Florida and nationally.
“This grant has really raised awareness of the need for nurses to continue their education,” she said.