Nursing Department Receives Charitable Donation
The Evelyn R. Simmers Charitable Trust donated money to Benedictine's Nursing Department to endow scholarships for students pursing bachelors and masters degrees within the nursing field at Benedictine or one of its partnering schools.
Anna Zak
Issue date: 10/13/09 Section: News
With the current status of the economy and students being at risk of losing MAP Grants, nursing students attending Benedictine, now and in the coming years, will be able to attend without the many worries and struggles to pay tuition.
In August, the Evelyn R. Simmers Charitable Trust donated $600,000 to the Department of Nursing at BU. The donation will be used to endow scholarships for students either pursuing a bachelor's (BSN) or master's degree (MSN) in nursing.
"This generous gift will make a tremendous difference in the lives of our students who are working adults juggling multiple priorities," stated Ethel C. Ragland, professor and chair of the Department of Nursing and Health.
Nurses have come in shortage over the past few years. According to the American Hospital Association, 89 percent of hospitals report openings for Registered Nurses that remain unfilled. In addition, 75 percent of hospitals today are finding it more difficult to recruit nurses than in the past. According to USA Today, a national study reported that one in every five newly-licensed nurses quit within a year because of the demands created by the shortage.
The AP/Post states that other factors contributing to the nursing shortage include the lack of qualified instructors, decreased funding for training programs, difficult working conditions and certain positions, such as emergency departments and intensive care units, require experience and expertise which prevents hospitals from hiring recent graduates.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, approximately an additional 233,000 job openings for RN's will open each year through 2016 in addition to the approximate 2.5 million existing positions. The problem occurs with the fact that only 200,000 candidates passed the Registered Nurse licensing exam in 2008 and thousands leave the profession each year.
Nurses have the opportunity to touch the lives of many through their work and Ragland states, "By furthering the education of nurses, the Simmers Trust is endowing the health of our community."
In August, the Evelyn R. Simmers Charitable Trust donated $600,000 to the Department of Nursing at BU. The donation will be used to endow scholarships for students either pursuing a bachelor's (BSN) or master's degree (MSN) in nursing.
"This generous gift will make a tremendous difference in the lives of our students who are working adults juggling multiple priorities," stated Ethel C. Ragland, professor and chair of the Department of Nursing and Health.
Nurses have come in shortage over the past few years. According to the American Hospital Association, 89 percent of hospitals report openings for Registered Nurses that remain unfilled. In addition, 75 percent of hospitals today are finding it more difficult to recruit nurses than in the past. According to USA Today, a national study reported that one in every five newly-licensed nurses quit within a year because of the demands created by the shortage.
The AP/Post states that other factors contributing to the nursing shortage include the lack of qualified instructors, decreased funding for training programs, difficult working conditions and certain positions, such as emergency departments and intensive care units, require experience and expertise which prevents hospitals from hiring recent graduates.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, approximately an additional 233,000 job openings for RN's will open each year through 2016 in addition to the approximate 2.5 million existing positions. The problem occurs with the fact that only 200,000 candidates passed the Registered Nurse licensing exam in 2008 and thousands leave the profession each year.
Nurses have the opportunity to touch the lives of many through their work and Ragland states, "By furthering the education of nurses, the Simmers Trust is endowing the health of our community."
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