The grant will provide scholarships for disadvantaged full-time students in the Associate in Science (A.S.) in Nursing degree program. In this first year, FSCJ was awarded $647,800 to support 50 nursing student scholarships. The funds will be used for books, uniforms and other incidentals incurred while students complete the 16-month program. The full grant total could potentially reach more than $2.5 million and assist 200 nursing students in achieving their associate degree.

FSCJ is committed to supporting the Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students (SDS) program to increase the number of graduates practicing in primary care, promote enrollment and retention of full-time students from disadvantaged backgrounds (including students who are members of racial and ethnic minority groups) and augment the number of graduates working in medically underserved communities.

The SDS project will take a multi-level approach to helping local educationally and economically disadvantaged residents overcome obstacles when entering and completing the A.S. in Nursing program.

The project will meet the following objectives:

• Annually provide 100 underrepresented and disadvantaged pre-college students nursing career awareness and SDS outreach
• Maintain an annual 75% retention rate for SDS participants through academic strengthening and retention services
• SDS participants will reach a 90% pass rate on a competency examination addressing the health care needs and nursing implications for underrepresented populations
• By the end of year four, at least 50% of licensed (successfully passed NCLEX-RN) SDS students will indicate they have obtained employment in a primary care setting and/or medically underserved area
•  Support the retention and graduation of disadvantaged A.S. in Nursing students by awarding 50 scholarships annually

The College thanks the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for awarding this multi-year grant. We are honored for the opportunity to continue assisting our hardworking students by helping them overcome hurdles on the path to their academic success.