The funding comes via the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education's (CPE) Healthcare Workforce Investment Fund (HWIF).
Morehead State University has received funding from the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education's (CPE) Healthcare Workforce Investment Fund (HWIF). The funding, in the amount of $215,900, has been given to the university’s Department of Nursing to provide scholarships for students in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and Associate of Applied Science in Nursing (AASN) programs. The Kentucky General Assembly approved the funding in 2023 to help combat the state’s shortage of qualified nurses.
According to an article on Morehead State University’s website, Dr. Kim Clevenger, who is serving as the interim department chair of MSU's Department of Nursing, was quoted as saying of the funding, “The Department of Nursing was thrilled to receive the award notification of these matching dollar awards from the Kentucky CPE. This funding represents a significant opportunity to support nursing students and strengthen the healthcare workforce in Kentucky.”
Clevenger added, “The combined total of $215,900 in scholarship funding for the BSN and AASN programs will directly benefit students, alleviating financial burdens while fostering their professional growth. These scholarships will help address healthcare workforce needs in the Commonwealth, as recipients commit to practicing at partner facilities upon graduation.”
CHI Saint Joseph Health and UK St. Claire both contributed funds to Morehead State University’s Department of Nursing, which were then matched by the Healthcare Workforce Investment Fund. CHI Saint Joseph Health’s contribution was $50,000 for the BSN program and UK St. Claire’s contribution was $57,950 for the ASN program.
“The healthcare partner contribution and match funds to provide healthcare training scholarships for current students and potential students for MSU's Department of Nursing pre-licensure AASN program and BSN program will assist the state in meeting the current and future workforce needs by attracting new nursing students into nursing programs here at MSU through targeted recruitment efforts,” said Clevenger.
As a condition of the scholarships awarded by the Healthcare Workforce Investment Fund, students are required to work at the partnership organizations’ facilities for an amount of time upon their graduation, ensuring a pipeline of qualified and well prepared nurses will enter the workforce and help ease the nursing shortage in the area, in exchange for the students’ own financial burdens being lessened via the scholarship funding.
For more information about Morehead State University, visit the school’s website.