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Federal funding for nursing workforce development programs
apparently is on target to rise slightly in 2005, but
remains far short of levels sought by nursing advocates,
according to the American Nurses Association.
A House subcommittee has approved a $5 million boost
to the 2004 funding level of $147 million for scholarship,
diversity grant, and loan repayment programs under the
Nurse Reinvestment Act.
The ANA had asked Congress for as much as a $63 million
increase for the programs aimed at alleviating the nation’s
shortage of registered nurses.
The programs are so popular with nurses, according
to the ANA, that the Health Resources and Services Administration
turned down 98% of applicants for its nursing scholarship
program, and 92% who applied for the nurse education
loan repayment program in 2003.
A House vote is not expected until after Congress’
August recess, and a final funding measure probably
will not be worked out with the Senate until after the
November elections, Erin McKeon, associate director
of government affairs for the ANA, predicted. “They’ve
basically punted,” she said.
The programs under the Nurse Reinvestment Act include
advanced education grants to nursing schools, workforce
diversity and retention grants, plus scholarship and
loan programs for nurses who serve in hospitals with
critical shortages. A repayment program for nurse faculty
loans repays up to 85% of educational costs of master’s
and doctoral students.
McKeon said the faculty loan repayment program is crucial
to recruiting more faculty members to nursing schools.
According to a December survey from the American Association
of Colleges of Nursing, collegiate nursing programs
turned away 11,000 qualified nursing school applicants
last fall because of a lack of faculty.
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