MEN! Looking for job security wherever you want to live? Wanting a high tech, high intellect career with endless opportunities and fast paced action? To be a real hero in a climate-controlled environment, nursing is the career for you. Because of the severe shortage of nurses projected for the next 20 years, you can choose from a limitless number of jobs waiting for you upon graduation. For more information about nursing careers, click here.

ABOUT THE MEN IN NURSING PROJECT AT OKLAHOMA CITY UNIVERSITY

Kramer School of Nursing is pleased to be among the first in the nation to receive funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) through the New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program. The school excels in Bachelor’s-to-BSN (second bachelor's) education, as demonstrated by its faculty’s record of research on second-degree nursing students, its 99% NCLEX-RN pass rate, and its specialized preparation of faculty to teach these exceptional students.

Grants provided through this competitive program are used for scholarships to increase the number of students enrolled in the accelerated 16-month Bachelor’s-to-BSN program. This groundbreaking national initiative, launched by RWJF and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, aims to help alleviate the nation’s nursing shortage by dramatically expanding the pipeline of students in accelerated nursing programs.

Kramer School of Nursing is addressing the nursing shortage by recruiting more men to the profession. The RWJF grant is funding 12 scholarships for men who started the Bachelor’s-to-BSN program in January 2009. All men who qualified were accepted into the program, but only 12 received the RWJF scholarships.

All men in all KSN programs, as well as the RWJF scholarship recipients, are mentored by men in nursing through a series of bimonthly events open to all male students, featuring speakers and discussions on issues relevant to men in nursing. The mentors will develop their protégés as leaders through involvement in professional organizations, development as nurses who use research to support their practice, and motivation to be effective change agents for the profession.

ABOUT THE SCHOLARSHIPS

Each scholarship recipient received $10,000 in one lump sum in January 2009. The scholarship may be used for any purpose that helps the student toward achievement of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, including tuition, fees, books, transportation costs to school, loan payments, living expenses, and/or personal expenses.

To receive the scholarship the student must meet the following conditions and sign a letter of commitment:

1. Be accepted into the Bachelor’s-to-BSN program at Oklahoma City University, having met all admission requirements. Click here for program and application information.

2. Be a US citizen or permanent resident of the United States or its territories at the time of application.

3. Remain enrolled full time in the program until completion.

4. Participate in the mentoring and leadership program related to the project.

5. Keep the school and the funder informed of contact information and progress throughout the degree program and for two years after graduation, including completing required surveys monitoring transition into nursing practice and employment in nursing.

6. Agree to be photographed for media and materials promoting nursing.

THE DECISION BY R.W.J.F. REGARDING THE JANUARY 2010 CLASS WILL BE ANNOUNCED BY AUGUST 2009. IF K.S.N. IS AGAIN FUNDED, MEN CAN APPLY FOR THESE SCHOLARSHIPS BY FOLLOWING THE DIRECTIONS BELOW:

Mail or deliver a written letter explaining why you want the scholarship and why you need the financial assistance (need will be verified by the university’s financial aid office). Provide your mailing address address, phone number, and email address. Enclose photocopies of two government issued verifications of United States citizenship or permanent residency status, such as your birth certificate, passport, driver’s license, or other official document. Have the photocopy of each document notarized with your signature.

Send the letter and enclosures to: Dean, Kramer School of Nursing, Oklahoma City University, 2501 N. Blackwelder, Oklahoma City, OK 73106

Deadline: All materials for both admission into the Bachelor’s-to-BSN program and the scholarship must be received by December 15, 2009, regardless of the postmark.

HOW THE RECIPIENTS WILL BE SELECTED

All scholarship applicants whose materials are complete will be ranked using a points system, as follows:

• Financial need: 0-10 points
• Cumulative GPA: 0-10 points
• GPA on prerequisite science courses: 0-10 points

The applicants with the most points will receive the scholarships.

For more information contact the Kramer School of Nursing at (405)208-5900 or send an email to mwilliamson@okcu.edu.

STORIES FROM SOME OF THE MANY MEN WHO HAVE BEEN THROUGH THE PROGRAM

"I enjoy the flexibility of the profession. I am already considering furthering my education. Perhaps a master’s degree or Nurse Anesthetist certification will fit into my future. The opportunities are endless!" Kody Smith, BBA, MBA, BSN, RN (Bachelor’s-to-BSN 2007 graduate)

"A 25-year law enforcement career influenced the nursing path I want to pursue. Working directly with hospice administrators, chaplains, and nurses to provide an appropriate police response to end-of-life events, I am predisposed to serving clients requiring oncology, palliative care, and terminal care services. A long-term goal would be to secure the education and experience to qualify as a flight/trauma nurse or be considered for an assignment on a United States Mercy Ship. Eventually, I would consider a teaching position to share knowledge and experience to future caregivers." David Nessel, BS, BSN, RN (Bachelor’s-to-BSN 2007 graduate)

"I received my MS degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Texas at Dallas, and moved to Silicon Valley (San Francisco Bay Area), California. For three years, I worked for a company’s utilities and energies division as a systems/customers integration engineer, which included the start-to-finish work of systems projects and integration of the customers’ various information systems with our technologies. Along the way I learned many valuable skills, such as communications and critical thinking. After my previous employer shut down the operation in California, I saw the opportunities in healthcare, so I moved on and decided to change my career to nursing as a way to: 1) utilize my organizational, analytical, and critical-thinking skills into developing nursing care capability; 2) take part in a profession with many rewards from all aspects; 3) fulfill my life-long desire to interact with or aid those in need; and 4) increase my knowledge base in a way that will benefit myself and others. I plan to work in Intensive Care and become certified as a CCRN." Andrew Chien, MS, BS, BSN, RN (Bachelor’s-to-BSN 2007 graduate)

"After 21 years of service as an Air Force Officer, I have seen much of the world. I’ve learned that each of us has his own path to walk and that we come to that path by very different ways. As I came close to the end of my military career, I had time to consider what I wanted to do with the rest of my working years. I wanted to make a positive difference in people’s lives on an individual level. I decided I could do that best by becoming a Nurse." David Legg, BA, BSN, RN (Bachelor’s-to-BSN 2007 graduate)

"I have a bachelor’s and master’s degree in business and have held various positions, such as management consultant and in purchasing, regional management, and sales/marketing. I have been fortunate to experience many things and see many places in the world, but never felt a sense of true satisfaction or feeling of accomplishment for helping those in need. I look forward to the undiscovered adventure that awaits." Bill Howell, MBA, BS, BSN, RN (Bachelor’s-to-BSN 2007 graduate)

"I am the father of five and grandfather to two and have chosen a second career in nursing. One advantage that I have appreciated for my family is the opportunity to show my children that hard work and studying may result in very wonderful things happening to you." Charles Berry, BBA, BSN, RN (Bachelor’s-to-BSN 2007 graduate)

"My wife and I moved to Oklahoma three years ago from the Texas Panhandle where I was manager of a beef cattle feedlot operation. Although I enjoyed my job with the feed yard, I began to entertain the idea of a career change. The desire to work in an environment that directly involves helping people led to my decision to pursue a career in nursing. My goal is to practice my profession in rural Oklahoma." Eric Cochran, BS, BSN, RN (Bachelor's-to-BSN 2008 graduate)

ABOUT THE FUNDERS OF THE SCHOLARSHIPS

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful, and timely change. For more than 35 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. Helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in our lifetime. www.rwjf.org

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is the national voice for university and four-year college education programs in nursing. Representing more than 630 member schools of nursing at public and private institutions 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. www.aacn.nche.edu