The UArizona College of Nursing will use the funding, which was designed to address the state\u2019s nursing shortage, to create 158 scholarships to cover the cost of tuition and fees incurred by students while completing the college\u2019s graduate-level Master of Science in Nursing \u2013 Entry to the Profession of Nursing (MS-MEPN) program. The MS-MEPN program helps educate and train new Wildcat nurses, who are desperately needed to fill an anticipated nursing shortage of almost 1 million nurses by 2030.<\/p>\n
The ADHS provided the grant for scholarships to be used in programs designed to allow students to complete entry-level nursing degrees in 12 to 18 months. Both in-state and out-of-state residents are eligible for a full scholarship. Recipients must agree to practice nursing in Arizona for at least four years upon completion of their degrees. The funding is made possible by HB 2863, approved by the Arizona State Legislature in 2022.<\/p>\n
The MS-MEPN program is a four-semester, highly accelerated generalist master\u2019s program tailor-made for students holding university degrees in other fields who want to become registered nurses.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe look forward to implementing the program scholarships soon with our MEPN accelerated nursing program to expand the nursing workforce in Arizona,\u201d said Connie Miller, DNP, RNC-OB, CNE<\/strong>, principal investigator for the ADHS grant and the division chair responsible for all prelicensure programs at the College of Nursing.<\/p>\n The MS-MEPN program launched in 2011 as Arizona\u2019s first accelerated master\u2019s entry program and has since graduated 1,105 students. The college will offer 96 MS-MEPN seats each semester \u2013 fall, spring and summer \u2013 48 in Tucson and 48 in Gilbert, Arizona. Previously, a total of 130 students were admitted once a year. The next cohort starts in May, and applications are opening soon for those interested in starting in August.<\/p>\n The College of Nursing has been preparing to increase enrollments due to the current shortage of nurses to meet the needs of Arizona residents and the anticipated increased need for nurses in the state. The college\u2019s Gilbert location recently doubled in size from 17,500 square feet to a total of 35,000 square feet of space in the University Building. This space will accommodate the increased number of MEPN students who will be enrolled every semester.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":803,"parent":0,"template":"","college":[7],"uahs_theme":[],"class_list":["post-804","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","college-college-of-nursing"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n