Grants for Nurses

Many organizations provide nursing grants. Here are some categories you may want to look through:

• Nursing Education Grants
• Nursing School Grants
• Nursing Research Grants
• Women Nursing Grants
• Male Nursing Grants
• Federal Grants including the Pell Grant
• Grants for Minorities
• Grants for Women

Nursing is a very important aspect of the health profession. Nurses help doctors care for their patients and help ease the tremendous burdens that fall on doctors with multiple patients to care for.

Responsibilities of Nursing Can Include:

Fluid Sample Collection

Nurses are usually the ones who hand you the tiny cup and tell you where the bathroom is.

Triage

Nurses assess patients requesting care so that they can advise the doctor of complaints. This can be done while the doctor is still seeing other patients.

Medication Distribution

Nurses can account for and distribute medications. In America the largest distinction between doctors and nurses is that nurses are generally forbidden from prescribing medication or diagnosing.

Needle Removal or Insertion

If something had to be drained or inserted, a nurse most likely drained or inserted it.

Vital Sign Taking

Nurses check vital signs of all patients, no matter your condition, to make sure that you are in the best possible shape to continue with the rest of the medical screening.

Where Nurses Work

Nursing is a very rewarding profession with many different career paths to take. Nurses may work in multiple locations including:

Emergency Rooms

Nurses process incoming patients, provide basic care for the most serious patients, collect vital signs, and generally are tasked with keeping track of all the patients coming in for care. This can be a very hectic and fast paced job in many areas.

Operating Rooms

nurses assist the doctor while he operates by keeping the incision area clean and making sure contaminants don’t infect the patient by keeping everything as sterile as possible. Nurses will also monitor vital signs so the doctor can focus on the operation.

Schools

School nurses care for children in various public and private schools. School nurses typically face sports or play-related injuries and a few crocodile tears here and there. School nurses also assist school administration in identifying and reporting possible abusive environments for children.

Nursing Homes

Nursing home nurses work in elderly care facilities commonly called “retirement homes”.

Private Residences

For the sick or ill who are confined to their homes, private nurses provide a special kind of care.. Private nurses meet all the same standards as hospital nurses but provide one-on-one care in the homes of their patients. Private residence nurses may be live-in or on a certain schedule. Live-in nurses will usually be paid a stipend and given room and board while they care for the patient.

This type of care is common amongst elderly and very young patients. Nurses who visit private residences on a schedule usually care for someone who is more able to care for themselves but who is still mostly confined to their home.

Mental Health Clinics

Mental health nurses assist psychologists in caring for psychological disorders. Nurses may monitor patients, observe and note patient activities, lead guided discussion sessions, and interact with the patients in order to comfort them and ease them through their treatments.

In the Military

The military is a great place to give back to your country. Civilian nurses must meet normal state licensing requirements and be hired to work on military bases in military hospitals.

Nurses will care for members of the military community to include their families. Military nurses are those who have joined the military after obtaining their nursing license to work as a nurse.

Nurses are generally military officers who normally begin their careers as Lieutenants with the chance to reach the rank of General. Military nurses may be deployed all over the world in support of combat and non-combat operations worldwide.

Professional Sports

If you enjoy pro sports and don’t mind traveling, many sports teams maintain a small medical team on staff to care for the athletes to ensure that they are in top shape for the big game.

Nurses will care for athletes, assist with physical therapy exercises, care for minor sprains and bruises, and replace or change bandages as required.

Substance Abuse Clinics

Nurses in substance abuse clinics care for drug or alcohol addicts as they attempt to turn their lives around.

Nurses will watch over patients in recovery, will control access to prohibited items, will engage with the patients to make them feel at ease, will note their actions, and will lead guided group discussion sessions.

Maternity

Nurses in maternity wards look after newborn babies and their mothers after helping the doctor deliver the babies.

Specialty Clinics

Eye doctors, ear, nose and throat doctors, foot doctors, dentists, and gender-specific doctors all need nurses to keep their operations running smoothly. Nurses may take on more of an administrative role in these clinics but may assist the doctor if he or she has to perform any surgical operations.

Family Clinics

Similar to specialty clinic nurses, these nurses may be mainly administrative. Family practice doctors with private practices may work out of home or small commercial offices. A doctor who opens his own practice may very well only need one nurse to work for him in order to make the office run.

These types of nurses will work with families for common ailments and will not generally have to assist the doctor with any major types of surgeries or procedures. Family practice doctors will generally refer or have transported candidates for major procedures to the nearest hospital.

Forensics

Forensic nurses are specialized in the collection of medical forensic evidence. This field of nursing has been made popular by the Hollywood depiction of nurses completing “rape kits” for victims of sexual assaults.

Forensic nurses typically work right in the emergency room so that the speediest actions can be taken to preserve the medical evidence.

Some forms of medical evidence include fluids, hairs, pieces of skin, etc. Forensic nurses may also be the ones to photograph the victim’s wounds. Forensic nurses are trained not just in evidence collection, but also forensic evidence collection and handling.

Medical Coroner Offices

Nurse coroners are actually forensic nurses too, but their duties are so unique that they merit their own sub-category. Nurse coroners, sometimes referred to as Deputy Coroners, assist in the investigation of a corpse.

Typically the investigation is to determine cause of death. Nurse coroners may be responsible for doing most of the leg work, from picking up the body at the crime scene to prepping the body for the doctor’s examination. This specialty is not for those with weak stomachs.

Colleges and Universities

Not in the role of nurse, but as teacher or instructor.

There are a lot of programs out there for nursing and turning nursing experience into college credit for working adults. If you think you might also want to pursue teaching or instruction one day, starting out as a nurse will give you the experience you need that colleges and universities look for.

Requirements to Become a Nurse

Requirements to become a nurse are administered by the state a person wants to become a nurse in. Nurses usually attend a nursing school program that can last anywhere from one to three (or more) years depending on previously earned educational credits.

Most nursing school programs will not accept applicants without a diploma or equivalent. Some may require a certain number of college credits. The applicant will usually have to be at least 18 years old or show proof of parental consent prior to taking most courses.

Nursing Programs Accomplish Two Main Goals

Nursing programs prepare students for real-world work by placing them in environments where they can interact and learn with actual patients. These visits are usually supervised by a veteran nurse or doctor so the student doesn’t have to worry about messing anything up.

Nursing programs also prepare students for license and certification exams.

Most states will not allow a person to become a nurse without passing some sort of state examination. If a nurse ever wanted to transfer from one state to another, some sort of exam or class for previously licensed nurses will most likely be required. The purpose of those exams and classes for previously licensed nurses is to introduce them to the up-to-date laws of the state where the nurse wants to work.

Nurses in some states are given more freedom to handle patients than in others and it is important for the nurse from another jurisdiction to be knowledgeable of the laws in the new state.

How to Prepare for a Nursing Program

High School Students

Keep your noses in the books and take high school seriously.

The problem with many students is that they simply do not care about high school. It is important to care because your grades in high school and even middle school may very well affect what nursing program you get into. Some schools will even have minimum GPA requirements for admission. If those requirements are not met then the student cannot attend.

Your grades may be the only thing between you attending a local program or one out of state. Your grades can affect you either way. If you have bad grades but want to travel you may have to settle for a local program, and if you have bad grades but don’t want to leave home, your grades may force you to another state to find a school that will take you. Pay attention, maintain your attendance, and focus on your future.

Adults

Deciding to go back to school for nursing can be scary and exciting. The excitement of a new and fast-paced career field where you can have a direct impact on people’s lives is sometimes overshadowed by financial and obligatory fears. Do you have the time for a nursing school? Do you have the money? Do you even remember how to be a student?

It is important to remember that adult-focused educational programs are specially designed for adults who have been out of school for a while. They essentially start you back at the beginning and build you up to receive your nursing education. Obligatory fears are those you feel because of prior life commitments, like your job or children.

These fears can be conquered by finding a support system that will encourage your efforts and cheer you on along the way.

Financial fears can usually be cured with money, but getting the money for a nursing program is easier said than done. There are options, however, for students who are serious about attending a nursing program.

What is a Grant?

A grant is like a cash gift from the government. Specifically, the U.S. government states that grants are not benefits or entitlements. They are awards of financial assistance to pursue an endeavor which would impact the U.S. economy in a good way. When used by people who want to go to school, they’re like educational stimulus plans.

The federal government believes that by paying for educations more people would be able to get off of or avoid government assistance programs like welfare. Grants are not loans and do not have to be paid back.

The Government Just Gives This Money Away?

Not necessarily. That’s why a clean track record and a strong desire to follow your dreams are necessary through every step in this process. Criminal convictions and past incidences of misconduct are enough for the government to deny your request for a grant.

Then, once you find out that you have no automatic disqualifiers in your background, you are able to fill out the application and wait for a response. This process can take time, several years in some cases.

The government has to go through your application; they may verify some information and talk to a few of your references. They will review your financial history and they will determine whether or not your request has the potential for a positive impact on the economy.

After your application has been sent from office to office and finally wrapped up, you will receive notice of approval or denial in the mail. If you get approved, a check will be soon to follow. If you get denied then there’s nothing much you can do but work on beefing up your resume and applying later.

This is why you have to work for it. Grants can be a competitive business and nursing is a pretty common training course.

Other Options Besides Nursing?

If you know that you want to work in the medical field but need a steady income faster than a nursing program can provide then look into working in the allied health trades. Allied health trades are those jobs that handle the administrative support functions of the medical community. Several options exist for work in the allied health field like medical assistant, receptionist, technician, or transcription.

Medical transcribers are usually work-at-home professionals who transcribe patient data and medical forms from doctor speak to insurance company speak. These folks are integral in making sure that doctors and their staffs get paid.

Becoming an emergency medical technician (EMT) is another option that will allow people to gain valuable medical knowledge and save up until their grant request is approved or they can pay for their nursing program themselves.

EMTs respond to emergencies to assist law enforcement and the fire department in the handling of accident or crime victims. The EMT is tasked with keeping the victim stable while being transported from the scene to the hospital. EMTs may be employed by private companies or publicly funded agencies.

Depending on the program, it may very well be possible to be awarded a government grant to cover the cost of pre-employment training.

Can I Use Grants to Further My Nursing Education?

Yes, some grants may be authorized for the furtherance of education. Nurses without college degrees may pursue associates, bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees in nursing. The doctoral degree does not grant the nurse any additional medical authority; it only means that the nurse has reached a doctorate level of education in the field of nursing.

This is similar to a doctor of political science or economics. A nurse who wanted to progress to become a medical doctor would still be required to attend an approved medical school and meet the requirements for licensure administered by the state the nurse wants to practice in.