For the second year in a row, Belmont University’s School of Nursing received the Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to train nursing educators. A cost matching award, Belmont was awarded federal funds of $422,317 from HRSA, and the University will match with $46,924. This grant addresses the ongoing shortage of nurse educators by offering Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) student scholarships of 85 percent tuition reduction with an agreement that the students will serve as nursing faculty or FNP preceptors for four years after graduation.
In addition to the traditional DNP education in the family nurse practitioner (FNP) role, students will obtain coursework specific to the role of a nursing educator. Students in the Belmont NFLP will benefit from mentorship, strong nurse educator preparation, and monetary support to pursue doctoral education and loan forgiveness. Easing the financial barrier to doctoral education will improve the supply of nurse educators and nurse practitioner preceptors.
Associate Dean of Nursing Dr. Martha Buckner said, “We are so pleased to receive another round of funding for the NFLP. We have seen an increased interest in our graduate programs as a result of the scholarships we can offer. This year’s cohort completed nine hours of graduate-level nursing education courses this summer that augment their doctoral education. I know they are going to have a tremendous impact on educating the next generation of nurses that our country so desperately needs.”
The program will provide loan forgiveness of up to 85 percent of Belmont tuition, fees and associated costs if graduates are employed full time as family nurse practitioner preceptors or faculty in any school of nursing in the United States for four years following graduation. Students will have one year after graduation to secure appropriate employment.
To qualify for the program, students must be accepted and enrolled in either the post-BSN or post-MSN Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Belmont University.
To learn more about the program, visit http://www.belmont.edu/grad-nursing/nflp.html.
This Belmont NFLP grant is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $469,241.00 with 9 percentage financed with nongovernmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.
