A $150,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will support scholarships for Saint Louis University students who are traditionally under-represented in nursing. These students include men and racial and ethnic minorities who already have a bachelor’s degree and are part of SLU’s accelerated bachelors and masters nursing degree program, which fast-tracks them into a nursing career.
SLU is the only university in St. Louis and among 52 schools nationally that received funding from the foundation’s New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program for 2014.
SLU’s diversity in nursing initiative has been supported by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation six out of the last seven years. Since 2007, SLU has received more than a half million dollars in scholarships, directly benefiting 53 students, said Sheila Leander, Ph.D., coordinator of SLU accelerated BSN program.
“It’s important that we get more diversity, including men, into the nursing workforce. That improves the profession and makes us all stronger. Because people come with different approaches and perspectives to health care, we should reflect the patients we take care of,” said Leander, an assistant professor of nursing.
In addition to helping to defray the cost of tuition, the grants fund leadership and mentoring programs and activities for under-represented students who are financially disadvantaged. Robert Wood Johnson scholars from across the country support each other through a network where they can share information as they embark on a new career, Leander said.