Newswise — The Johns Hopkins School of Nursing is one of only 14 schools of nursing nationwide to be among the first to receive a grant from a new Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) program to increase the number of nurses holding PhDs. As an inaugural grantee of the Future of Nursing Scholars program, JHSON will select a nursing student to receive financial support, mentoring, and leadership development over the three years of his/her PhD program.

The Future of Nursing Scholars program is a multi-funder initiative. In addition to RWJF, United Health Foundation, Independence Blue Cross Foundation, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and the Rhode Island Foundation are supporting the Future of Nursing Scholars grants to schools of nursing this year. The Future of Nursing Scholars program plans to support up to 100 PhD nursing candidates over its first two years.

The Johns Hopkins School of Nursing is receiving its grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Sarah Szanton, PhD, ANP, associate professor and director of SON’s PhD program, said, “We are honored and excited to be part of this important, ambitious endeavor to increase the number of PhD-prepared nurses to lead the future of improving the health of all people.”

Sarah Allgood, a 2009 graduate from the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, has been selected to receive the grant and will begin her PhD studies in the fall. She is currently a research nurse at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine coordinating clinical trials in the cystic fibrosis patient population. Her PhD work will explore the role of pain in clinical outcomes in patients with cystic fibrosis. "I am truly honored to receive this scholarship, and I appreciate the support and experience it will give me, and others like me, to reach our doctorate goals," said Allgood.

In its landmark nursing report, the Institute of Medicine recommended that the country double the number of nurses with doctorates; doing so will support more nurse leaders, promote nurse-led science and discovery, and put more educators in place to prepare the next generation of nurses.

Fewer than 30,000 (or 1 percent) of the nation’s more than 3 million nurses have doctoral degrees in nursing or a related field. While enrollment in doctor of nursing practice (DNP) programs has risen dramatically over the past few years, enrollment in PhD programs has been flat. In addition, the average age at which nurses get their PhDs in the U.S. is 46—13 years older than PhD earners in other fields. This program will provide an incentive for nurses to start PhD programs earlier, so that they can have long leadership careers after earning their PhDs.

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For more than 40 years the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has worked to improve the health and health care of all Americans. We are striving to build a national Culture of Health that will enable all Americans to live longer, healthier lives now and for generations to come. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org. Follow the Foundation on Twitter at www.rwjf.org/twitter or on Facebook at www.rwjf.org/facebook.The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing is a global leader in nursing research, education, and scholarship. The School and its baccalaureate, master's, PhD, and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs are recognized for excellence in educating nurses who set the highest standards for patient care and become innovative national and international leaders. Among U.S. nursing schools, the Hopkins Nursing graduate programs are ranked #1 by U.S. News & World Report. For more information, visit http://nursing.jhu.edu.

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