The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded Barry University’s Division of Nursing $922,356 for graduate nursing students.
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 90 nurses to return to school for their master’s and doctoral degrees who would otherwise not have been able to. This year more than two dozen nurses will be afforded the same opportunity.
“This is a win-win situation,” said Dr. John McFadden, dean of the College of Health Sciences at Barry. “The award helps alleviate the severe faculty shortage impacting the nation’s nursing programs while it provides support to nurses who want to further their careers as educators and scientists.”
Students in the program have up to a year to obtain a full-time faculty position at any college or university, including Barry. They must commit to teaching after graduation to receive the waiver.
“The unique quality of Barry’s graduate nursing program is its structure,” said Jessie Colin, PhD, RN, FAAN, professor and program director in the College of Health Sciences at Barry. “Students build on each of their courses as they progress toward their final projects and dissertations. They experience what it means to journey from novice to expert.”