Selecting a Nursing Education Program
Make sure that any educational program you choose is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) so that you can sit for board exams when you are ready.
Find Educational Resources here: The Association for Medical Education and Research in Substance Abuse.
Funding a Nursing Education
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW) announced updates for its NURSE Corps Programs. If you looked at the program long ago and weren't eligible, look at the updated criteria - in 2016, additional site types became eligible for the NURSE Corps Loan Repayment and Scholarship Programs. NURSE Corps members fulfill service obligations at any of thousands of hospitals, clinics and other facilities located in designated Health Professional Shortage Areas across the U.S.
- The NURSE Corps Loan Repayment Program helps alleviate the shortage of nurses across the country by offering loan repayment assistance to registered nurses and advance practice nurses, such as nurse practitioners working at Critical Shortage facilities, and nurse faculty employed at accredited schools of nursing. Program participants receive repayment of up to 60 percent of their qualifying student loans in exchange for a 2-year service commitment – plus an additional 25 percent of their original loan balance for an optional third year.
- The NURSE Corps Scholarship Program helps students complete their nursing education by paying tuition, fees, and other education costs, while providing a monthly living stipend. The program is open to full or part-time nursing students accepted or enrolled in diploma, associate, baccalaureate, or graduate nursing programs at accredited schools located in the U.S. Upon graduation, scholarship program participants fulfill a minimum two-year service commitment at a Critical Shortage Facility.