AACN Partners with CampusRN.com to offer new scholarship program and online career center

Partnership Provides New Money for Students; Supports Nurse Retention Efforts

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) announced that it has established a new partnership with CampusRN.com to offer scholarships and online career center for graduates of baccalaureate and higher degree nursing programs. This joint initiative will provide a fresh source of funding for nursing students and help new graduates find work settings that support professional nursing practice.

"Nurses prepared at the baccalaureate and graduate degree levels are in high demand, and finding the right practice environment is critical to a new nurse's job satisfaction, retention, and, ultimately, improved patient care," said AACN President Kathleen Ann Long, PhD, APRN, FAAN. "This new partnership will allow us to assist nurses in finding employers that foster a culture of retention by providing nurses with opportunities to build new skills, explore different roles, and climb the career ladder." Over 45,000 students graduated last year from baccalaureate, master's and doctoral nursing programs, and more than 160,000 students are currently in the educational pipeline.

The AACN-CampusRN.com partnership involves two components: A new Scholarship Fund for currently enrolled nursing students and a Career Center for new graduates looking to transition into professional practice. The Scholarship Fund is designed to support students who are seeking baccalaureate. master's or doctoral degrees in nursing. Special consideration will be given to students:

* Enrolled in a master's or doctoral program in pursuit of a nursing faculty career;

* Completing an RN to baccalaureate nursing program (BSN); or

Enrolled in an accelerated baccalaureate or master's degree nursing program.

Beginning in May 2003, scholarships in the amount of $2,500 will be distributed every 2 months through this program. Applicants must register online, write a brief statement on career plans, and demonstrate a need for financial assistance. For details on this scholarship program including an application, see http://aacn.campusrn.com/scholarships/scholarship rn.asp.

The second part of the AACN-CampusRN.com partnership involves a newly created online Career Center for new graduates looking to join the nursing workforce. This center includes a searchable database of vacancies available nationwide, a scholarship center. and important career information tailored for nurses prepared at the baccalaureate and higher degree levels. Students using this service are strongly encouraged to begin their career search by reviewing the employers listed on the Professional Nursing Network - http:www.aacn.nche.edu/pnn - to evaluate each employer's ability to provide a professional practice environment. AACN will encourage new nurse graduates and those nearing the end of their programs to begin their career search using these online services. For more information on the Career Center, see http://aacn.campusrn.com/students/jobsearch.asp.

"Nurse recruiters from coast to coast are excited about this new initiative that will give them greater access to a new pool of highly competent entry-level nurses," said Matt Casey, the Chief Executive Officer of CampusRN.com's parent organization CampusCareerCenter.com. "Using this online service, employers will be able to recruit students even before they finish their programs and enter the highly competitive job market.

For more information about the AACN-CampusRN.com Scholarship Fund or the online Career Center, contact Robert Rosseter at rrosseter@aacn.nche.edu or 202-4636930, ext. 231.

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing is the national voice for university and four-year-college education programs in nursing. Representing more than 570 member schools of nursing at public and private institulions nationwide, AACN's educational, research, governmental advocacy, data collection, publications, and other programs work to establish quality standards for bachelor's- and graduate-degree nursing education, assist deans and directors to implement those standards, influence the nursing profession to improve health care, and promote public support of baccalaureate and graduate nursing education, research, and practice.

CampusRN.com is the most comprehensive site of its kind for entry-level nursing students and allied health job seekers. Through this online service, students can view current job openings, access competitive research on employers, and compare various career options within their field. Employers have the opportunity to reach the nursing student directly with current openings, even before they graduate. CampusRN.com is a subsidiary of CampusCareerCenter.com (CCC), the world's leading campus recruiting company. CCC boasts a network consisting of 2,200 Career Centers, an ambitious grassroots student representative program, and a student community that is growing at a rate of over 150,000 candidates per year.

Copyright Nevada Nurses Association Aug 2003
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