APU School of Nursing Awarded $140,000 by Kaiser Permanente
Azusa Pacific University’s School of Nursing received a $140,000 forgivable loan from Kaiser Permanente earlier this month to support students enrolled in the Second Careers and Nursing (SCAN) Program.
The donation, according to APU, comes at a key time for the students and professors in the school’s nursing programs, who are looking to help decrease the nursing shortage in the state of California.
“The loan from Kaiser Permanente allows students to complete a master’s in nursing who might otherwise might not have been able to due to cost,” said Patricia Hanes, MSN, APU instructor of nursing, in a statement released by APU last Friday. “This loan helps students not only with their finances while in the program, but also assists in establishing relationships with Kaiser Permanente professionals who generously support nurses and nursing education.”
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According to APU, the SCAN Program provides graduate-level nursing education for those who hold baccalaureate or higher degrees in other disciplines. It combines basic nursing skills with preparation for an advanced practice role in a clinical nursing specialty. The program enables students to receive accelerated master’s degree in nursing, which is highly needed in today’s medical industry. Through the forgivable loan program, these students perform clinical rotations and receive mentoring from Kaiser Permanente staff, and upon graduation, may work at any of the 11 Southern California Kaiser Permanente hospitals.
“The second degree candidates have demonstrated that they are committed to the nursing profession,” commented Judy Husted, RN, MS, Kaiser Foundation Hospital’s executive director of patient care services, operations in Southern California.
The loan, which APU’s School of Nursing received on Nov. 4, “is one of the many innovative initiatives we have implemented to address the California nursing shortage, which is in a huge crisis,” she said in the APU-released statement. “We are proud of the unique partnership we have established with Azusa Pacific University.”
With the increased nursing shortage in California, Azusa Pacific University’s School of Nursing continues its mission to place well-trained and highly qualified nurses into hospitals around the state and country. According to the California Healthcare Association, California ranks 49th in the nation in terms of the number of RN’s per capita - with 585 RN’s per 100,000 population.
APU, which has been featured in TIME magazine and ranked as one of the nation’s best by U.S.News & World Report and The Princeton Review, offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), and four other undergraduate nursing options. In addition, the evangelical university offers a Master of Science in Nursing, an Accelerated RN to BSN, BSN to MSN, post-master certificates, Second Careers and Nursing (SCAN) leading to a MSN, and a Ph.D. in Nursing.
