Posts Tagged ‘college grants and scholarships’

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Scholarship Opportunities Benefit Physician Assistant Students

June 8th, 2010

The need for Physician’s Assistants has reached extreme proportions. It’s become so acute many PA’s often work for two different places, and no one is complaining. The salaries are also extremely high for a person who can enter the work force with just a two-year degree and certification, often averaging $75,000 a year (per job) with excellent benefits. Because of this high demand, there are increasing free scholarships and grants opportunities for this entering the field.

At the same time, many do not know of these financial aids and the recession is doing a lot to hold many potential PA’s from enrolling. Many kids out of high school think twice when they balance four years of school against as much as a decade paying off student loans.

To quote the American Academy of Physician’s Assistants, it’s now time to start thinking outside the box before getting a student loan. They point out an extraordinary pile of internships, scholarships, grants and more available to those willing to enter their profession. So, with a little research and some council from a financial aid advisor, the Academy states it’s possible to not take out any loans at all. Here’s where they suggest to start looking:

(1) Federal and State Government – There’s a lot more out there than just a Pell and SEO Grant. The Academy reports that many of its members are working mothers and they got their education from Working Mom grants. There are also the armed services and federal agencies like AmeriCorps, who will train and/or provide educational vouchers for service. As it stands, both the federal and state governments offer a veritable alphabet soup of student loans programs to aspiring PA students.

(2) Internships – There’s actually a way one can end up being paid to learn. Many major medical institutions have put together work-study/internship programs as a way to fill their ranks. This usually involves taking courses with an online college and then clocking into the job when not studying. One should check in with the HR departments of hospitals and see what they have to say as this accomplishes the dual goals of hands on experience with book education.

(3) Professional Societies – The Agency itself gives $1,000 a year to a number of student physician assistants. They also note that many of their sister professional groups, mainly from specialized areas such as oncology, have similar programs. If anyone knows what the current job conditions are, it’s them.

(4) Corporate Scholarships and Grants – A number of private, for-profit companies also put in their fair share of financial assistance. For example, the Tylenol Scholarship awards over $250,000 a year to medical students of all stripes and colors, including physician’s assistants.

(5) Ethnic, Religious and other Fraternal Societies – Apparently there are funds from sources most never ever think of, such as the Elk’s Club, the National Organization for Women, American Legion, United Negro College Fund and even the Girls Scouts. A little research and you’ll be surprised what’s out there.

Finding information on scholarship and grant online possibilities just requires a bit of time and some narrowing down of the myriad of choices. Not every person will be eligible for every one, so finding the scholarships and grants that fit your situation may take a few extra minutes, but end up saving an amazing amount of money.

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African American Students Eligible For Grants And Scholarships!

June 6th, 2010

How big is the shortage of nurses becoming? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, if the growth of positions available versus the number of nurses graduating keeps up, there will be over 250,000 nursing positions left unfilled by 2025. One of the big reasons for this is getting the financing to go through the minimum four years of education, plus the certification any nurse must go through. This is where grants and scholarships play a large role.

The industry isn’t about to let up on recruiting more African Americans. It’s well known that one thing holding many back are finances. As such, there is an incredible amount of financial assistance set aside to get more African American nurses into the work force. In fact, the site MinorityNursing.com has put up a list of over 100 of these funds. Here’s a quick sampling of some of them: If you need more information about government grants, look on the internet.

(1) The National Black Nursing Association – This professional organization exists to help African American nurses, both the student and the pro. Applicants must be a member of NBNA and still have one last year of education remaining. A number of scholarships from $500 to $2,000 are provided for those going for a BSN, AND or LPN/LVN nursing program.

(2) Foundation of the National Student Nurses Association – This professional organization not only is out there to help nursing students with helpful tips on their education, but also administers several hundred grants and scholarship. Of particular interest is the Breakthrough to Nursing Scholarships, which was established in 1965.

(3) Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Health Professions – They developed a plan called Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students that donates aid for financially needy nurses and health students. They must be a U.S. citizen (national or permanent resident). The funds are sent directly to the school, so this one must be done through the financial aid office.

(4) Humility of Mary Health Partners/Minority Nurse Anesthetist Scholarship – This program is to assist RNs become nurse anesthetists, one of the highest paid specialties in the profession. It awards them a $10,000 fellowship. There are a number of pre-requisites that also come with the money, among them one must work for Humility of Mary Health Partners for a few years. There is an abundance of information about scholarships on the web.

(5) Minority Nurse Magazine Scholarship Program – Awards scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 and is open to racial and ethnic minority students who will be enrolled in either: the third or fourth year of an accredited BSN program in the United States, an accelerated program leading to a BSN degree (such as RN-to-BSN or BA-to-BSN) or an accelerated Master’s; of entry nursing program for students with bachelor’s degrees in fields other than nursing (such as BA-to-MSN).

As said previously, there are literally hundreds of other programs out there offering even more scholarships, grants and fellowships. After all, they might have access to other grants and scholarships you didn’t find yourself.

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Minorites Have Many Viable Options When Attempting To Further Their Education

May 27th, 2010

There are those who say America has made great strides regarding racial equality. There are others who will say otherwise. Both have points, but one thing that stands out is education, especially when it comes to college. For instance, African Americans are over 12% of the country’s population, but the Board of Education reports the percentage of blacks at universities is only half that. The dropout rate is also considerably higher than other racial groups, too. Finances play a part, even with such traditional means as college loans and other programs.

When no less than President Obama states the true strength of a nation is the education level of its population, then rectifying this education gap is vital. What these numbers indicate is a particular group of children are being left behind, especially those without apply for a pell grant online.

One of the biggest contributing factors for both low attendance and high drop out rates is financial. With the current economy, many promising students simply can’t afford to go to college, even if they get such basic federal grants such as the Pell and the ACG. To combat this, a number of organizations are providing much needed cash so black kids can go on to school. Here are just four of them:

The United Negro College Fund – One of the most esteemed of these charitable organizations, they have their own program that hands out $2,500 a year to high school graduates with a 2.5 grade average or better. They also help administer approximately 30 other funds, created by other charitable organizations to media celebrities. They advise anyone who applies for a grant from them to contact every one of these 30 other groups, too.

The Thurgood Marshall Fund – This organization is dedicated to the late civil rights activist and Supreme Court Justice. It has contributed over $100 million to young scholars who attend one of the 47 recognized historical black colleges in the U.S. The United Negro College Fund, by contrast, is for any accredited Title IV college, on campus or virtual.

The Ron H. Brown Scholar Program – Created in 1996, this program was created after the untimely death of the former U.S. Secretary of Commerce, who was killed in a plane crash. Every year it awards 40 students as much as $10,000 a year for four years. They can use this money for any accredited college of their choice.

Blacks At Microsoft Scholarship – Charitable organizations aren’t the only ones lining up with checkbooks in hand. Microsoft has two different programs on the subject. The Blacks At Microsoft curriculum is strictly for African Americans and awards high school seniors $5,000 a year towards a Bachelors of Science degree. Their other is open to all minorities and covers all tuition and fees to STEM majors with high grades and financial need.

What’s important is this is only four programs out of hundreds, not to mention the traditional such as Pell grants. Another African American group, Black Excel, has over 200 different groups. Apply for a Pell grant online and then see what else is out there.

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