Scholarship program may benefit nurses pursuing online degrees

Scholarship program may benefit nurses pursuing online degrees

A recent donation to a scholarship fund at a Waxahachie, Texas hospital will help nurses who wish to keep working while they strive for higher education at classroom-based or online universities.

Baylor Medical Center has announced that a local woman has given the non-profit hospital $500,000 for its Advancing Nursing Excellence program.

The program is intended to help nurses and non-nursing employees fund higher education while allowing them to keep their current positions at the hospital.

Beneficiaries of the gift will be selected based on their potential to succeed in a degree program, record of achievement at the hospital and level of financial need.

The recent contribution to the program will assist employees who "cannot leave full-time employment to attend college…to fulfill that dream while still working part-time," said Cindy Murray, the hospital's chief nursing officer.

Addressing a statewide shortage of nurses is another goal of the program, as 10 percent of all registered nursing positions remain open in Texas.

Nursing students and medical professionals wishing to advance their careers without entering a full-time degree program may consider working toward an online nursing degree, which can allow them to keep working while gaining higher education.