AORN foundation shares results of scholarship recipient survey

AORN Journal, March, 2005 by Terri Goodman, Sharon Chappy, Leslie Durgin

Since 1992, the AORN Foundation has been awarding scholarships as part of an effort to adhere to AORN's entry into practice position statement, which says," ... AORN believes the minimal preparation for future entry into the practice of nursing shall be the baccalaureate degree." (1) The AORN Foundation scholarship program was developed to meet funding needs for the educational goals of AORN members. Scholarships for nursing students were added to the program in 2003 when, as part of their commitment to addressing the perioperative nursing shortage, the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies donated $100,000 in scholarships, half of which were designated for nursing students.

Through the scholarship program, the AORN Foundation addresses some of the daunting challenges facing perioperative nurses, including the shortage of qualified perioperative nurses, the aging perioperative workforce, lack of tuition funding from hospitals, and the need for perioperative nurses with a bachelor's or higher degree. In the spring of 2004, the AORN Scholarship Committee conducted a survey of scholarship recipients to assess the effectiveness of the scholarship program in meeting these challenges. Documentation of the program's success is expected to enhance the Foundation's ability to elicit scholarship donations from AORN members and industry supporters. This article contains information about the scholarship program, describes the survey results, and discusses the effectiveness of the scholarship program.

THE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

The scholarship program was implemented to support AORN's commitment to the educational preparation of perioperative nurses, and it addresses the issue of nurse retention by supporting nurses who are seeking to grow their professional potential. These days, value often is placed on professional preparation and education of perioperative nurses. At the same time, many health care facilities contribute little funding to support continuing education of their employees. The AORN scholarship program aims to bridge this funding gap by offering scholarships for perioperative nurses who want to advance their education.

The AORN Foundation solicits funding from industry, AORN chapters, and individuals to support its scholarship program, in 2003, the Scholarship Committee awarded $170,000, and in 2004, it awarded $158,000. There are a variety of scholarship grants, some with restrictions on the types of scholarships to be awarded, but most with very flexible guidelines. The Foundation provides scholarships for nursing students, master's degree and doctoral candidates, and RNs obtaining their bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degrees. The scholarship program tries to help strengthen the perioperative nursing profession in a variety of areas, including

* improving nurse recruitment and retention,

* helping RNs obtain a BSN as either a first or second degree,

* helping nurses obtain advanced degrees, and

* developing nurse leaders.

NURSE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION. The United States currently is experiencing a nursing shortage, particularly in such specialty areas as the emergency room, intensive care unit, and OR. (2) In addition, the perioperative workforce is aging, which may contribute significantly to the perioperative nursing shortage as nurses begin to retire. AORN's current membership data show that the average age of perioperative nurses who are members of AORN is 48 years. (3) This number has been climbing steadily and will continue to climb unless new graduates and nurses from other specialties enter the perioperative arena and join AORN.

The scholarship program addresses recruitment by awarding scholarships to individuals who have the potential to augment the perioperative nursing workforce. In addition to scholarships for student nurses who express an interest in pursuing a career in perioperative nursing, there are scholarships for surgical technologists and unlicensed personnel who are continuing their professional development by enrolling in nursing programs to become RNs. These individuals become even more valued members of the perioperative team when they can both scrub and circulate for surgical procedures.

Additionally, the Scholarship Committee believes that that there is a strong relationship between a scholarship recipient and the donating organization. A scholarship from the AORN Foundation is likely to stimulate an interest in perioperative nursing and a commitment to AORN that could lessen the gap between the demand for nurses and the supply.

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING DEGREE. Nurses pursue a BSN degree both for a sense of personal accomplishment and to increase their advancement potential for clinical, educational, and management positions. Registered nurse first assistant (RNFA) certification, for instance, requires a BSN degree. Another group of scholarship applicants includes the growing number of individuals who are pursuing a BSN as a second degree and who have decided to pursue a career in nursing. Adults who pursue further education to support a career change often are committed and enthusiastic about their career choice. Several respondents to the Foundation survey were among this group.