Press Releases

The John A. Hartford Foundation partners with the Yale School of Nursing to create careers for geriatric advanced practice nurses

New Haven, CT — January 14, 2005

The John A. Hartford Foundation has awarded a grant to the Yale School of Nursing (YSN) entitled Creating Careers for Geriatric Advanced Practice Nurses. The purpose of this grant is to provide scholarships to students who are interested in leadership in geriatric nursing practice. 2 registered nurse master's students will be selected to receive the scholarship tat YSN. These students will engage in leadership building activities over the course of their program of study including leadership sessions with faculty mentors. They will also receive funding to attend a leadership session as a pre conference to the Gerontological Society of America Annual meeting. "The goal is to infuse leaders in geriatric nursing into the clinical practice, education and research settings," said Dr. Deborah Chyun, director of the Adult Advanced Practice Nursing specialty at YSN.

The GNP track prepares students in primary care management of both common and complex problems in elderly care. On completion of the program, students are eligible for GNP Certification through the American Nurses' Credentialing Center. "We are most proud of our graduates from the GNP Program," said Dr. Chyun. "Our graduates are presently working in a variety of health care settings: skilled nursing homes, extended care facilities, congregate living facilities, acute care settings, and primary care clinics."

The GNP Program at YSN has continued to grow since its inception in 1988. Yet, according to Dr. Chyun, it has had lower enrollments than expected or desired, particularly given projected health care needs of the aging society. "Consistent with other private, Ivy League universities, a major barrier to attending graduate school at YSN has been the cost of tuition," explained Dr. Chyun. "In the proposed project, we will continue to target the exceptional students who apply to the GNP track at Yale and provide them with a much more generous financial aid package than we would otherwise be able to offer."

Funding will provide scholarships to students over a three year period. Awardees will be given $13,000 in YSN funds; combined with funding from the Creating Careers for Geriatric Advanced Practice Nurses project, each awardee will receive a total scholarship of at least $26,000 yearly in order to fully meet the cost of full-time tuition. "We anticipate that this will increase the potential that students will enroll and complete the program on a full-time basis," Dr. Chyun said.

YSN is currently seeking RNs who are interested in pursuing an MSN degree in the GNP track and who demonstrate a strong commitment to caring for elderly individuals. For more information about this opportunity, please contact Dr. Chyun at deborah.chyun@yale.edu

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