This article originally appeared in the winter 2023 edition of Forefront magazine. View more stories at case.edu/nursing/news-events/forefront-magazine.
As Dean Carol Musil (NUR ’79; GRS ’91, nursing) addressed the audience during the centennial celebration of Case Western Reserve University Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, she announced a major new initiative.
The School of Nursing would be kicking off a $5 million scholarship campaign for its students, she told the crowd. “We come together tonight to ask, ‘What’s next?’” she said, “‘What does that future look like?’”
The kickoff came in the midst of major shifts in the profession. Three years of COVID-19 dramatically exacerbated the national nursing shortage, a crisis fueled by built-up burnout, long hours, aging equipment, and challenges to the mental health and wellbeing of healthcare professionals. A 2023 U.S. Registered Nurse Workforce Report Card suggested the country will face a deficit of 500,000 nurses within the next six years.
Making the profession more accessible is key to attracting more people to the nursing profession. To that end, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing strives to provide all of its students with some level of financial support—an aim that will be bolstered by the new campaign.
Such funding helps students spend less time worrying about how to pay their tuition bills and more on the topics that will help them grow as nursing professionals.
Read some students’ stories to learn how the scholarships have supported their education.