BOLIVAR, Mo. (KY3) – According to the National Institute of Health, 100,000 nurses left the field during the COVID-19 pandemic. It wreaked havoc on the medical industry due to stress and burnout. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the current nursing shortage is only expected to grow as baby boomers age and the need for health care grows.
That’s why Citizens Memorial Hospital is offering their Medical Excellence Scholarships to high schoolers and college students in their service area, to encourage interest in the field.
“We’ve been doing it for 35 years,” said Jeremy McLaughlin, the Director of Human Resources for Citizens Memorial Hospital. “We really try and encourage people from our communities to get involved in healthcare and as that’s continued to evolve. We have worked with high school students, all the way through individuals in their residences and part of that commitment, under our Medical Excellence Scholarship is we would offer them a job.”
McLaughlin said this is the first year CMH is awarding 20 scholarships to high school students in the amount of $1,000 each. However, he said they do not want high schoolers to feel like they are committed to CMH by accepting the scholarship, they just want students to get a chance to explore the field. For college students though, they have to already be accepted into a health-care degree related program and there is a requirement to work at CMH after graduation.
“The second part of our scholarship will continue to be that I’m going to be a physical therapist, I’m going to be a nurse, I’m going to be a medical laboratory scientist and I’m in my program and it’ll let me,” said McLaughlin. “It will help them while they’re in program to get that degree and then to come back and work in our communities.”
For a list of eligible high schools, other requirements, and to apply for the scholarship click here.
College students can read the list of requirements and apply here.
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