Kansas

Geriatric nurses are healthcare professionals who provide care to the rapidly increasing older population in hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted care living facilities. Many accredited colleges and universities offer graduate nursing degree programs with a focus in geriatric nursing.

Students who choose to complete master's and doctoral degrees in this nursing specialty are often offered the choice to work as nursing faculty upon graduation. Several generous scholarship programs are available to those seeking doctoral degrees in nursing. The Predoctoral Scholarship program, offered by the American Academy of Nursing, was created to financially assist nurses committed to future careers in academic geriatric nursing. Eligible doctoral nursing students receive a $100,000 scholarship given by the John A. Hartford Foundation over a period of two academic years. An additional scholarship of $5,000 can be obtained courtesy of the The Mayday Fund, when students choose to conduct research on the topic of pain in the elderly.

Scholarship candidates need to meet specific eligibility criteria which include holding an active registered nurse license, planning an academic career, and showing potential for long-term contributions and research in the geriatric nursing specialty.