Scholarships for Nursing Students in Hawaii

There are two faces to Hawaii’s healthcare. Some people travel to Hawaii for special services, or just to recuperate in the sun. Others, particularly natives, face health struggles. They may live in rural, underserved areas. They may speak a different language than their healthcare practitioner. As a future nurse, you can offer preventative care as well as help managing diseases. If you show a strong enough commitment and aptitude, you may be eligible for scholarship moneys. Some opportunities will be different depending on whether you’re a native or a current resident.

Are you native Hawaiian? If so, the community has a particular need for you. There are loan scholarship opportunities available for natives of the Aloha state, wherever they currently reside. To be eligible for these, you must be committed to providing high quality, culturally responsive nursing care to the native population.

Not native… or not sure enough of your plans to make a specific commitment? Like other states, Hawaii is working to stave off a shortfall of professional nurses. The government has projected 19% increase in demand in the decade leading up to 2018. You also have scholarship and grant opportunities that go a bit beyond general programs like the Pell Grant.

Nursing Scholarship Requirements in Hawaii

The Native Hawaiian Scholarship Program funds Native Hawaiian students at the associate’s level to master’s level. It’s okay if they’re pursuing their degree in another state — as long as they’re willing to serve, after graduation, in whatever Hawaiian community needs them. The process is very competitive and includes an interview. Recipients receive a living stipend as well as tuition money.

The Hawaii Community Foundation administers a number of smaller scholarships for those in health-related fields. Some are specific to nursing; in other, prospective nurses compete against students in other allied health fields. Most do not have a set monetary value, but the Foundation notes that their donors generally make awards between five hundred and several thousand dollars.

BSN, MSN, and PhD candidates alike can apply for the Margaret Jones Memorial Nursing Fund. Members of the Hawaii Nurses Association may be given preference for this award. The Laura Jean Armstrong Scholarship, meanwhile, is reserved strictly for graduate nursing students. If you’re at an earlier point in your career, but you’re interested in working with the elderly, you may want to look into the Hawaii Pacific Gerontological Society Nursing Scholarship Fund. Other options may be available to you based on your ethnicity or location within the state. Many of Hawaii’s residents, of course, trace their lineage to the Philippines. If you’re Filipino, you can apply for the Filipino Nurses’ Association of Hawaii Scholarship.

To apply for these scholarships, you will need to set up an account with the Hawaii Community Foundation. Then you can complete most of the application process online; you’ll add whatever scholarships you want to apply for to your ‘backpack’. Afterwards, you mail supporting documents to the physical address.

Individual schools, like the University of Hawaii, also offer scholarships to nurses. The University of Hawaii-Manoa offers a number of scholarships specifically for nursing students. These include the Damsker Nursing Scholarship and the Dr. Graceann Ehlke Memorial Endowed Scholarship in Nursing. Achievement Rewards for College Scientists Foundation Scholarship for Nursing are for those at the graduate level.

Nursing Scholarship Professional Tips for Applying

Keep in mind the goals of particular scholarship competitions. Some emphasize cultural competence as well as other achievements. You can often find profiles and essays of scholarship winners from all over the country online. There is a lot of diversity in recipients — just as there is with patients — but you may get some inspiration studying their winning essays. You may not find essays or detailed profiles for recipients of the Native Hawaiian Scholarship Program, but you will for other comparable programs. You might, for instance, stroll over to the Arizona State University site to be inspired by recipients of another scholarship with similar goals: “bringing native people back to their roots with the skills to serve.”

Contact Information for Nursing Scholarships in Hawaii

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