New full-scholarship program guarantees GVSU nursing students a job after graduation

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

A new scholarship program between Grand Valley State University and Hospice of Michigan guarantees selected nursing students in the college's accelerated second degree program a two-year full-time job with Hospice after graduation. The scholarship pays 100 percent of the students' tuition, a stipend during the semester and provides a preceptorship with Hospice.

"We've been in conversations with Hospice for a year," says Cynthia McCurran, dean of GVSU's Kirkhof College of Nursing (KCON). "We brainstormed about what this would look like. We knew we'd draw from the second degree program for spring/summer semester."

Jordan McAskin, a Grand Rapids resident, recently received the first scholarship. McAskin has a bachelor's degree in biomedical sciences and psychology, and starts KCON courses in May.

After the graduation, McAskin must pass the registered nurse licensure exam and then fulfill a two-year agreement to work as a full-time nurse for Hospice. The position offers a competitive salary and full benefits package.

"The accelerated program is a very rapid, intense format for 12 months," McCurran adds. "Students are completely immersed, so it's very hard to work at job outside of going to school. One of the biggest challenges is having the financial resources to do it, so the opportunity to get a stipend is very, very helpful."

Dottie Deremo, president and CEO of Hospice of Michigan, proposed the scholarship idea last fall. Deremo is a former nurse who saw the need to add a stipend to the scholarship to provide support to the scholarship student.

Source: Cynthia McCurran, Grand Valley State University Kirkhof College of Nursing; Hospice of Michigan

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].