NEPA Health Care Foundation Opens Careers In Care Nursing Scholarships
To support the growth and development of the nursing workforce in NEPA
2023 Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation
Careers in Care Scholarship
Scholarship Application open February 1, 2023 to May 1, 2023
This competitive nursing scholarship program aims to support the growth and development of the nursing workforce in NEPA with $200,000 in scholarships to be distributed for the 2023-2024 academic year.
Careers in Care Nursing Scholarship available to students and healthcare workers in Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Wyoming Counties who plan to pursue, or who are pursuing, nursing and who will practice in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
To qualify for Careers in Care Nursing Scholarships, individuals are required to show that they have had a permanent address in Lackawanna, Luzerne, or Wyoming County for the last three years. Scholarships are available to those who are:
- Looking to enter a CNA, ASN, or LPN program
- Currently employed in the healthcare field and looking to advance to a LPN, RN/BSN, or Masters Level program
- Students entering their third or fourth year of a four-year nursing degree and looking for financial assistance
- ‘Nontraditional’ students or those looking to go back to school to obtain any nursing certification or degree
Please note: this scholarship opportunity is NOT intended for graduating high school seniors.
Scholarship recipients are asked to demonstrate a commitment to stay in the Northeastern Pennsylvania region. All applications and application materials must be received through our online scholarship portal.
These scholarship opportunities offered by the Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation through its Careers in Care program, come during a time where the strains on the healthcare workforce in Northeastern Pennsylvania have been significant. These scholarships aim to make an impact on the nursing workforce in Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Wyoming Counties.
“These scholarships will provide the much needed financial support to students who may otherwise not have been able to further their education,” stated Director of Nursing and Associate Professor of Practice at Marywood University, Dr. Theresa Tulaney, PhD, MS, RN, GCNS. “In addition, it will allow students to focus on their education instead of having to work many hours to alleviate difficult financial situations,” she added.
“The Foundation’s Board understands the strains that the regional healthcare workforce is facing and, through the Careers in Care initiative, strives to make an impact to address these critical issues,” said James Clemente, NEPA Health Care Foundation Board Chair. “Over the past year, we have seen just how timely this really is.”
Additionally, through Careers in Care, the NEPA Health Care Foundation will provide grant support totaling $830,000, to a variety of organizations including Lackawanna College, for its three-year plan to enhance the pipeline of local healthcare professionals and increase the number trained and retained in the region; United Neighborhood Centers of NEPA for its Upward Economic Mobility Program; and Saint Joseph’s Center for direct support professional wage increases.
The Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation’s Careers in Care initiative is a $1.5 million commitment over a three-year period (2020-2023) focused on moving the needle on these critical areas.
The rollout of the Careers in Care initiative comes after the completion of a regional listening tour which the Foundation conducted from May through September of 2019. The NEPA Health Care Foundation conducted 30 site visits across the region to determine the health workforce challenges from the perspective of multiple healthcare providers, colleges, universities, vocational schools, agencies, and other nonprofit organizations, and how the Foundation could best make an impact.
“It was clear from discussions during our listening tour that there is a great demand for nurses at all levels. Supply is just not able to meet demand,” said Laura Ducceschi, President and CEO of the Scranton Area Community Foundation. She continued, “It was also clear that the development of the regional health workforce pipeline needs to continue to start earlier with students.” The Scranton Area Community Foundation administers the NEPA Health Care Foundation.
In addition to the Careers in Care initiative, the NEPA Health Care Foundation is also in the seventh year of a $3.2 million commitment to the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) for scholarship support for incoming first year medical students from Lackawanna, Luzerne and Wyoming counties. The NEPA Health Care Foundation Scholars program covers full tuition for these scholars, who indicate a commitment to practice medicine in Northeastern PA.