Health-care students can find scholarships and grants to pay for their education.
Like any other college degree, a degree in the health-care field can be costly to obtain. The expense forces some to defer their pursuit of a career as a doctor or nurse. To encourage more people to enter the field, scholarships and grants are available with the aim of helping students offset their educational costs.
Nurses
Private and public organizations offer scholarships to help nursing students pay for school. The federal government, for example, offers the Health Resources and Services Administration Nursing Scholarship Program (hrsa.gov). Recipients are awarded scholarships to pay for tuition and books, plus a monthly stipend of $1,326, as of 2011. In exchange for the financial assistance, recipients must work in a government-approved health facility after graduation.
State governments also provide scholarships to nursing students. The Maryland State Nursing Scholarship (mhec.state.md.us), available to state residents, awards students $3,000 each academic year that they remain enrolled and maintain a 3.0 grade point average. Recipients must work full-time in a state-approved health facility after graduation.
Radiologists
Radiologists are trained to use highly sensitive equipment to examine patients and interpret test results. Scholarships such as the Research Medical Student Grant (rsna.org) offer assistance to students pursuing a career in radiology. Selected candidates receive a $3,000 research grant and a $6,000 living stipend, as of 2011.
The Howard S. Stern Research Grant program is administered by the Society of Gastrointestinal Radiologists (sgr.org) or SGR. The annual grant awards $15,000 for research and is only available to SGR members.
Doctors
The American Medical Association, or AMA, reports that the average medical student graduates with approximately $157,944 in debt, as of 2011. The AMA administers the Physicians of Tomorrow Scholarship program (ama-assn.org) to help students in financial need pay for medical school. Those selected receive $10,000, and as many as 12 individuals are selected each year.
In Pennsylvania, the Alliance Medical Education Scholarship Fund (foundationpamedsoc.org) gives $2,500 to state residents who are in their third or fourth year at a Pennsylvania medical school.
Anesthesiologists
Anesthesiologists are crucial to a patient's safety during surgeries that requires anesthesia. The American Society of Anesthesiologists (asahq.org), or ASA, provides scholarship money to candidates entering the field. The Rural Access To Anesthesia Care Scholarship awards $750 to ASA members for travel and lodging expenses for a clerkship in a under-served rural area, as of 2011.
The Army Nurse Corps Association Scholarship (e-anca.org) offers $3,000 award to anesthesiology students who sign up with the U.S. Army, the Army National Guard or the Army Reserve. The scholarship is also available to members of the Army Nurse Corps and military veterans.
Tags: after graduation, Army Nurse, Army Nurse Corps, available members, facility after
