Scholarships for Nursing Students in Massachusetts
Massachusetts has a growing demand for nurses, particularly at the more highly educated professional levels. Nursing scholarships help dedicated and competent individuals finance their initial education or go back to school for higher degrees. They are good for the profession, and if you’re a nurse or a prospective nurse, they can be good for you as well! If you are selected for a scholarship, the money will either be sent to your program or will be given to you to put toward educational expenses. There are few situations where you would need to return or repay it. (An exception would be if the scholarship comes with some agreement or future commitment.)
In Massachusetts, nursing scholarships are available through professional organizations and health care organizations. Graduate level nurses may also be eligible for loan forgiveness programs through the state government.
Nursing Scholarship Requirements in Massachusetts
Long term care is an area of particular need within Massachusetts. If you have worked in long term care in some capacity (as a nursing assistant, for instance) you are eligible to apply for a $2,000 scholarship from the Massachusetts Senior Care Association. Long term care has been a traditional work setting for LPNs, but both LPN and professional nursing students are welcome to apply.
Students in the large Metro West Service area, either LPN or RN, can compete for Metro West Community Health Care scholarships. There are spring and fall application cycles (April 15 to May 31 and October 15 to November 30). These can be lucrative awards. In some cases, scholarships may be renewed as long as four years. The total value can be as high as $8,000. Grade point average, resume, essay, and references are among the things that must be submitted.
Students in the Lowell, Massachusetts area are given preference in the Mildred Nutting Nursing scholarship, offered through the Daughters of the America Revolution (DAR). The deadline is February 15. The scholarship requires sponsorship from a local DAR chapter.
Other nursing scholarships are available only to nursing students at the professional level. The Massachusetts/ Rhode Island League for Nursing offers scholarships for students in RN or RN-BSN programs. To be eligible, you must have been a resident of the region for four years. This scholarship competition is quite competitive. Applications are due July 31.
Additional nursing scholarship opportunities exist for those who are members of minority groups or are studying specialty fields. Infusion nurses who are members of the Infusion Nurses Society may apply for scholarships to continue their education. Two $1,000 dollar scholarships are given each year. The New England Regional Black Nurses Association, meanwhile, administers several scholarship competitions, including one for high school seniors who have been accepted into nursing schools, two for licensed nurses pursuing higher degrees, and one for an RN seeking higher education. A fifth competition is for general nursing students.
Nurse midwives, nurse practitioners, and psychiatric nurse practitioners who do have to take out loans for educational purposes may ultimately qualify for loan forgiveness. In order to have loans forgiven, they must serve in a qualifying medical facility in a medically underserved area.
Nursing Scholarship Professional Advice – MA
The MARILN award states that applicants are selected according to their ability to contribute to the nursing profession. If you’re thinking about applying for this type of award, remember that you’re on the job from the moment you walk into the classroom. Your references will be asked to give you a score between 1 and 9 in various attributes (for instance, academic skills, interpersonal skills, and initiative) and to hand the reference over in a sealed envelope.
Scholarship teams emphasize the importance of turning in all materials and of carefully addressing each question posed. A representative of a minority scholarship fund notes, too, that candidates should not get discouraged because they might not have the life experiences another candidate has. The process is multi-faceted.
Contact Information for Nursing Scholarships in Massachusetts
Massachusetts Senior Care Foundation
2310 Washington Street – Suite 300, Newton Lower Falls, MA 02462
Website: maseniorcarefoundation.org/Education/Scholarship_Program.aspx
Massachusetts/ Rhode Island League for Nursing
Thompson Square, Charleston, Massachusetts 02129
Website: uri.edu/nursing/news/files/pdf/Mariln%20Scholarship%20RN%202009.pdf
Metro West Community
Health Care Foundation, 161 Worcester Road, Suite 202, Framingham, Massachusetts 01701
Website: mchcf.org/Portals/0/Uploads/Documents/Public/Grants/Scholarships/Scholarship_Application_MCHCF.pdf
New England Regional Black Nurses Association
P.O. Box 190690, Boston, MA 02119
Website: nerbna.org/org/scholarships.html