The Utah foundation's goals include improving educational and health equity while combatting the nursing shortage.
The new Nightingale Foundation has been launched to tackle the nursing shortage and pave the way for traditionally underserved populations to attend Nightingale College, a nursing school based in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization will provide Nightingale nursing students with financial resources needed to attend and complete their academic programs. Those funding programs are expected to begin in early 2024, according to the foundation.
“Creating the Nightingale Foundation is an exciting leap forward in increasing access for populations who need financial resources to complete their nursing programs,” said Jonathan Tanner, the foundation’s vice president. “The foundation will be uniquely suited to address the needs of many underserved and underrepresented populations.”
The foundation will not only strive to serve current and prospective nursing students by offering scholarships and alternative funding options to finance attendance in pre- and post-licensure academic programs, but also to assist in building a diverse nursing workforce across the United States.
With a focus on removing barriers for equitable access to nursing education, particularly for nontraditional students, it will support Nightingale College’s current and prospective nursing students in identifying, developing, and increasing access to pre- and post-graduate nursing education resources.
Indeed, nursing over the next decade will demand a larger, more diversified workforce prepared to respond to future public health emergencies and address systemic inequities that have fueled health disparities, says a 2021 report from the National Academy of Medicine.
The report identified several priorities to meet the needs of the U.S. population and the nursing profession for the next decade including promoting diversity, inclusivity, and equity in nursing education and the workforce. Nursing students and faculty not only need to reflect the diversity of the U.S. population but also need to help dismantle structural racism prevalent in education and the workforce, it said.
“With the nursing shortage at an all-time high, it is vital that barriers to accessing nursing education are removed,” noted Katy Shoemaker, the foundation’s executive director. “Nightingale Foundation will pave the way for traditionally underserved populations to attend college and complete their nursing degrees, ultimately increasing health equity in the communities they serve.”
Carol Davis is the Nursing Editor at HealthLeaders, an HCPro brand.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The foundation will provide Nightingale College nursing students with financial resources.
Building a diverse nursing workforce across the United States is another of the foundation's goals.