Students to Receive Full Scholarships in Gerontological Nursing

NEWS RELEASE
For immediate release

Contact: Mary Pattock, School of Nursing, 612-624-0939

Four University of Minnesota Students to Receive Full Scholarships in Gerontological Nursing

(Minneapolis, MN, September 14, 2005, 2005) - To help ensure that nurses have the advanced skills required to meet the increasingly complex needs of the elderly, a national foundation has teamed up with local health organizations to defray the cost of advanced nursing education by providing scholarships to aspiring gerontological nurse leaders.

The scholarships are for students who enter the gerontological nurse practitioner (GNP) or gerontological clinical nurse specialist (GCNS) areas of study.

The John A. Harford Foundation, through the program direction of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, provides half of the tuition and fees for the scholarships through its Creating Careers in Geriatric Advanced Practice Nursing program. The other half is funded by several Minnesota partners that employ GNPs and GCNSs.

The four new full scholarship recipients for 2005-2006 are:

• Stacey Hermanson of Minneapolis, who will receive matching funds from Fairview Geriatric Services in Edina

• Victoria Ivchenko of White Bear Lake, who will receive matching funds from HealthPartners, Partnering Care for Senior Services, in Bloomington

• Christine Larson of Cottage Grove, who will receive matching funds from HealthEast in St. Paul

• Nora McPherson of Edina, who will receive matching funds from Evercare in Golden Valley

A fifth student, Sherry Baumann of Plymouth, will be receiving the scholarship for the second year of a two-year scholarship, with matching funds provided by Fairview Geriatric Services in Edina.

Three organizations also agreed to provide scholarships for half of the tuition and fees for an academic year without the matching funds from the Hartford Foundation. The scholarships recipients and their sponsors are:

• Abejide Fawole of Brooklyn Park; North Clinic
• Becky Ahlstrom of Minneapolis; Evercare
• Ben Akhuetie-One of Brooklyn Park; Park Nicollet Health Services

In addition, Chad Sharkey of Edina will receive a traineeship and stipend from the Veterans Administration Medical Center.

"The support these organizations are providing to our students is so appreciated," says Associate Professor Christine Mueller, PhD, RN, C, CNAA. "We are very pleased to have such a partnership with the Hartford Foundation and our local sponsors."

To foster leadership in gerontological nursing, the School of Nursing provides scholarship recipients with opportunities to network with gerontological nurse leaders, join professional nursing/gerontological organizations, and become actively involved in the School's Center for Gerontological Nursing.

The University of Minnesota School of Nursing prepares a major portion of the nation's advanced practice nurses specializing in gerontology, having graduated more than 100 GNP students since the area of study was established at the school in 1991. Fifteen GCNS students graduated from the U of M during that same period.

Dr. Mueller encourages prospective GNP/GNCS students to contact her at 612-624-4922 or at cmueller@umn.edu. Information is also available on the Web at www.nursing.umn.edu.

The University of Minnesota School of Nursing is ranked among the nation's top nursing schools. It is a leader in nursing research and has a combined undergraduate and graduate enrollment of approximately 850 students. The school produces 55 percent of the faculty in Minnesota's public and private nursing schools, advanced practice nurses and nurses who can assume leadership positions. It is the oldest continuing university-based school of nursing. The School of Nursing is one of seven schools and colleges in the Academic Health Center, one of the most comprehensive facilities for health professionals in the nation, fostering interdisciplinary study, research and education.