Vanderbilt doctor of nursing practice students who hope to become nursing faculty may take advantage of a $1.52 million grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration Bureau of Health Workforce (E01HP28788), Nurse Faculty Loan Program. Vanderbilt University School of Nursing received the award to support DNP students through the 2023-2024 academic year.
The School of Nursing has received nearly $12 million in HRSA-funded NFLP awards since 2008 to help increase the number of nursing faculty at U.S. colleges and universities. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, thousands of aspiring nurses were turned away from programs last year because of teaching faculty and clinical site shortages.
“The Nurse Faculty Loan Program’s financial support for DNP students is an invaluable way to ensure that our field continues to have highly qualified nursing educators,” said Senior Associate Dean for Academics Mavis Schorn, PhD, CNM, FACNM, FAAN. “Preparing nurses to teach in a variety of venues, such as in practice and in academia, is a critical part of what we do, and we are grateful to have financial support for those who want to teach.”
Nurses prepared with a practice doctorate (DNP) are educated to apply scholarly research to the practice setting to offer innovative, economically feasible, impactful health care. Vanderbilt’s program incorporates advanced clinical practice, advanced systems practice and executive leadership learning, as well as options for those with a bachelor of science in nursing to earn a DNP in adult gerontology acute care or family and emergency care. In addition to their other coursework, Vanderbilt NFLP recipients take courses focused on nursing education. Students who are planning on faculty positions may enroll in additional education courses to meet the certificate in nurse education credential (offered by the National League for Nursing) or to obtain a ost-masters certificate in nurse education.
The NFLP provides financial support for tuition to full students who meet the qualifications of the loan and who plan to pursue a teaching role after graduation. This teaching role may be a full-time faculty position, joint nurse faculty appointment as both a clinician and nurse faculty such as precepting, or two part-time positions. Funding is determined on a year-by-year basis by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Loan recipients who complete the nursing education program may cancel up to 85 percent of the loan in exchange for four years of service as full-time nurse faculty at any accredited school of nursing in the United States.
Learn more about the NFLP at the Vanderbilt School of Nursing >>
The NFLP program is supported by HRSA, part of the HHS, under grant E01HP2878 as part of an award totaling $1.52 million with 0% financed with non-governmental sources. This information is that of the author(s) and does not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.