Becoming an RN is one of the better things that you could do with your life, which is why you should consider the various RN scholarships that are available. The nursing profession is part of the healthcare industry and therefore represents stability and job security. As an RN you will also be paid fairly well. If you are already an LPN and you would like to move on to being something more but don’t have the funds, scholarships can definitely benefit you in your further studies. There are a number of scholarship options available.
Tips For Getting A Scholarship
This section provides you with some basic tips on what to do and what not to do when looking for an RN scholarship to get you through your studies.
General Tips
Here are some of the more general and, to be honest, the more obvious scholarship tips that you could need.
It is very important that you apply for every single scholarship that you think you are eligible for. Don’t apply for one, wait to hear back, and then apply for another if you are rejected. Apply for all of them at once across the board and see what happens. This increases your chances significantly. Even when you are not entirely sure that you qualify, apply anyway, because it can’t hurt, and you never know, they may like what they see and give it to you anyway.
There are a lot of popular scholarships out there. But there are also a number of scholarships that no one really knows much about. The more obscure the scholarship the higher your chances of getting it because there will be less competition. Make sure you know all of your options.
- To give the best first impression possible, make sure that you follow all of the instructions that you are given in the application process as carefully as you can.
- Make sure that you are aware of all of the scholarship deadlines so that you do not run the risk of missing them and thereby disrupting your chances of getting the scholarship.
- Make sure that you get good letters of recommendation from your references. This means that you need to give them enough time to think about and write something good. Do not rush them. Also make sure that you get the references in time for the application.
- Write a good scholarship essay. There are specific tips on that in the next section.
Practice good interview skills. This includes arriving on time for the interview. You should also dress neatly and professionally, and make sure that you answer all of the questions politely. You need to demonstrate that you are the kind of person that deserves a scholarship. Because you are applying for a nursing scholarship, your interpersonal skills are very important. You also need to show that you are conscientious about time because this is not only polite, but also reflects on the likelihood that you will be a good nurse.
Scholarship Essay
When you apply for a scholarship you will almost definitely have to write a scholarship essay which is basically a long letter of motivation about why you are the best person for the job. This is not very easy, especially for the more popular scholarships where a number of people apply. You need to write something good that will stand out from the crowd, and this is not something that can be done easily. However here are some basic tips to help you through the scholarship essay writing process:
- Make sure that your essay contains all of the proper grammar and spelling. If it doesn’t you will not make a very good impression on the reader.
- Make sure that you know what the scholarship requirements and purposes are. The essay needs to be written in response to this. This may mean that you will have to write a different essay for each of the scholarships that you decide to apply for so that it is relevant to the scholarship requirements.
- Sometimes the essay will require you to answer specific questions. Make sure that you do this clearly. Answer all of the questions specified and try not to go off the point.
- You need to try to be original and unique. Try to use your experiences and your reasons for entering nursing and write about them in a different way and from a different angle. Do your best – not everyone has the imagination and writing skills required for this, but this is also not the only thing that the reader will look at.
- Make sure that you get a second opinion on your essay. Have someone read it though and give you general advice on the structure and so on.
Firstly you need to have a clear outline for your essay from the beginning. A well laid out essay looks very good and if you plan it before writing it you will find that the payout will fall into place neatly. Before writing plan your introduction (the part that grabs the reader’s attention and give a quick outline of your essay), body (the bit that has all of the facts – make sure that you substantiate what you write), and conclusion summarize your main points and perhaps indicate your future goals in nursing).
There is no shame in getting someone to help you write your essay. As long as the ideas are yours you will be fine. Do not copy an existing essay and do not have someone else write it entirely for you without your intervention. You will be caught out if your do this.
Scholarship Scams
There are a number of scholarship scams out there that you need to be careful about when looking for RN scholarships. There are people who will want to take advantage of your desire to improve your education. Luckily there are a few ways to know if a scholarship opportunity is genuine or not.
Firstly you will never be asked for a fee in order to have the scholarship application processed, expect in some cases where a fee of about $5 to cover postage will be required. If it is more than this, treat the scholarship with the utmost suspicion.
Note that you will always have to do something to earn a scholarship, such as filling out a form or writing an essay, so if a scholarship opportunity claims that you will not have to do anything then it is most likely a scam.
Scholarships are advertised for free. If you come across one that claims that you need to pay a fee to get hold of the scholarship information, then this is probably a scam. All information is freely available for legitimate scholarships, so an online search would be a very good way to start looking for legitimate scholarships.
There is no legitimate scholarship out there that will need you to provide your credit card details your bank account number in order to hold a scholarship for you. Never give this information out to an agency or individual claiming to offer RN scholarships.
Be careful if a company says that you will be guaranteed of getting a scholarship. Usually this means that it is not really a scholarship but a loan that you will have to repay. In reality there is no way to guarantee that you will get one, so treat anyone claiming this with a great deal of suspicion.
If you are asked to make an appointment to pick up scholarship information for free, be very careful – usually what happens in these situations is that you are made to sit through a presentation that is aimed at getting you to pay a fee for some reason, often so that they can do a scholarship search for you. You should never have to pay for this service.
If you come across a scholarship scam, please report it to:
National Fraud Information Center
1-800-876-7060
www.fraud.org
Council of Better Business Bureaus
703-276-0100
www.bbb.org
Federal Trade Commission
877-FTC-HELP
www.ftc.gov
Specific RN Scholarships
A list of all of your options can be found at this website.
Let’s have a brief look at some of the main options that are available to you:
- American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc. Foundation Grants and Scholarships: Because nurses form a hug portion of the healthcare workforce, the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses provides RN scholarships to eligible candidates in order to provide them with the opportunity to study further and achieve their educational and career goals. More information can be found at https://www.aaohn.org/grants/research-grants.html.
- ROTC Military Scholarships: If you are a member of any of the four branches of the military you will be able to benefit from this scholarship as it is offered to all involved in military service. Provided you study at one of the preselected RN schools and meet the requirements you will be eligible for a scholarship in this regard, as well as several other benefits such as a stipend for books. More information can be found at http://www.military.com/rotc.
- Charlotte McGuire Scholarship Program: This is a scholarship that is named in honor of the founder of the American Holistic Nurses Association. Through charitable donations this association is able to provide registered nurses who meet certain requirements with the financial aid that they need in order to achieve their educational goals. More information can be found here
- Frank Lanza Memorial Scholarship: American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society launched this scholarship as a way to recognize the academic and leadership achievements of nurses who work in a variety of fields and thereby allows them to study further. There is more information to be found about this particular scholarship at this website
- Certified Background.com-AACN Scholarship Program in Nursing: This is a scholarship for baccalaureate and graduate nursing students and to be eligible you have to attend one of the nursing schools specified. To find out more about this scholarship please visit here
- Spalding University Scholarship for School of Nursing Students: The Spalding University Office of Advancement and Development and the School of Nursing have put scholarships in place for BSN and MSN nursing programs. This also reminds us that specific schools will also offer RN scholarships, so it is important to start your search by enquiring at the school you would like to study at. For more information: http://spalding.edu/academics/scholarship-opportunity-for-school-of-nursing-students/.
- Methodist Health System Nursing Scholarship: These scholarships are for people working towards various different nursing qualifications. More information about this can be found at http://www.methodisthealthsystem.org/body.cfm?id=134.
- The National Black Nurses Association Scholarship Program: Devoted to excellence in nursing The National Black Nurses Association provides a number of different scholarship opportunities for nursing students. There are many options to choose from. More information about these various scholarships can be found here
- Foundation of the National Student Nurses’ Association Nursing Scholarship: This foundation operates solely on a charitable basis. It provides several scholarships to nursing students who meet the requirements. Further information can be found at http://www.nsna.org/FoundationScholarships/FNSNAScholarships.aspx.
- The National Association of Hispanic Nurses Scholarship: This is a scholarship opportunity for Hispanic nurses who demonstrate the ability to excel. In order to qualify for these scholarships you must be a United States citizen or legal resident of the United States. More information about this can be found at http://www.thehispanicnurses.org/scholarship/.
These are only a few of your many options. As mentioned previously it is essential that you go here for a more comprehensive list of your RN scholarship options.
There is no harm in trying to get one of the RN scholarships mentioned above. The worst they can do is say that you are not eligible to receive such a scholarship. Best case scenario: you get a scholarship and can continue your education easily. Remember that there are also a number of other financial aid options available to you. Go to www.fafsa.ed.gov to find out more and enquire at the specific school where you want to study what your options are through them. They can direct you towards grants and affordable loan schemes.