Atlantic General Hospital announced this week that applications for the
James G. and Nancy W. Barrett Nursing Scholarship Program are available
beginning April 4. The scholarship program provides selected nursing students
with full payment of tuition and books, health care benefits and flexible
work schedules.
Upon completion of their degree program and after passing the appropriate
state licensure exams, scholarship recipients are required to work full-time
at Atlantic General Hospital/Health System for one year for each year
in the scholarship program.
The scholarship program is named in honor of James G. and Nancy W. Barrett
in recognition of the significant contributions the Barrett family has
made to the hospital. James G. Barrett passed away in 2004 while serving
as Chairman of the Atlantic General Hospital Board of Directors.
The scholarship program was created in 2000 to address workforce shortages
within the healthcare industry. In 2007, the Nursing Scholarship Program
graduated two students and is anticipating the May 2008 graduation of
an additional four nurses.
While participating in the program, scholarship students are required to
work twelve hours per week at Atlantic General Hospital/Health System
and maintain full-time status in their academic program.
Nursing Scholarships are available to students enrolled in local community
colleges, including Wor-Wic Community College and Delaware Technical Community
College, and to Salisbury University juniors and seniors pursuing a bachelor’s
degree in nursing. Students enrolled in Salisbury University’s “Fast
Track” Bachelor of Science in Nursing program are also eligible
for the scholarship.
Rachael Warren, a current scholarship student, is scheduled to graduate
in May 2009. “The Atlantic General Hospital scholarship program
has been a true blessing for me,” Warren said. “It not only
has eased the financial burden of nursing school, but has allowed me to
maximize my educational experience. Each week as I learn theory in school,
I am able to experience the tangible portions while I am working at Atlantic
General Hospital.”
The program is supported by many local individuals, businesses, and organizations,
including Nancy W. Barrett, the Ocean City Lions Club, the Worcester County
Department of Economic Development Career Internship Program, the Retired
Nurses of Ocean Pines, the Atlantic General Hospital Junior Auxiliary
Group, the Atlantic General Hospital Medical Staff, and Dr. Roy Cragway,
who initiates and organizes the Annual Pool Tournament Shootout.
“The Ocean City Lions Club has been an enthusiastic supporter of
the nursing scholarship program at Atlantic General Hospital for several
years,” said Bill Jones, chairman of the Ocean City Lions Club Scholarship
Committee. “The Lions Club recognizes the importance of the program
in recruiting and retaining nurses for the benefit of Ocean City and the
surrounding areas in Worcester County.”
For more information or to request an application, please e-mail Alice
Kalinowski at akalinowski@atlanticgeneral.org, indicating “Scholarship
Application” in the subject line. Please include your name, mailing
address, telephone. Applications can also be requested by calling (410)
641-9935. Completed applications must be returned to Atlantic General
Hospital by May 9, 2008.