Vanderbilt University School of Nursing (VUSN) has received $1.3 million from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) to help increase the number of qualified nursing faculty.
“The Institute of Medicine, Joint Commission, Robert Wood Johnson, and other groups have challenged education institutions to increase the number of nurse educators to reduce the nursing shortage. A key component to increasing enrollment in schools of nursing is to have an adequate number and well-prepared faculty,” said Linda Norman, DSN, R.N., Valere Potter Menefee Professor of Nursing and dean of VUSN.
“One of VUSN’s responses was to develop a series of elective courses focusing on nursing education within the rigorous Doctor of Nursing Practice program. The HRSA funds will be made available to DNP students who want to assume a faculty role upon the completion of their program of study.”
Specifically, the award will underwrite the cost of tuition and fees for the DNP students.
Upon graduation, if the loan recipient is employed as a nursing faculty member in any school of nursing in the United States for four years following graduation, 85 percent of the loan will be forgiven and the student will have 10 years to pay back the remaining 15 percent.
This award will increase the number of doctorally prepared nurses to assume faculty roles and will make a significant contribution to ensuring an adequate supply of faculty for nursing education programs.
