AGH Scholarship Students Graduate From Nursing School

BERLIN - For many, May brings graduation along with the flowers and spring rains. Such was the case for four of Atlantic General Hospital's nursing scholarship students.

Lauren Krauss and Demiah Carpenter recently graduated from Salisbury University, Amanda Wainwright and Lisa Marini from Wor-Wic Community College.

Each, as a registered nurse, will soon begin working full-time as a member of Atlantic General Hospital's clinical staff according to the requirements of her scholarship through the hospital's James G. and Nancy W. Barrett Scholarship Fund.

The fund, which covers the cost of tuition and books and provides health care insurance for a student and any dependents during schooling, makes nursing school possible for many qualified candidates who may otherwise have not been able to afford it.

This was true for Carpenter, who moved to the area four years ago from out of state and could not afford the tuition at Salisbury University.

'I had planned to attend Wor-Wic for nursing school, but the nursing program is so competitive there because of the reasonable tuition that I couldn't get in,' Carpenter said. 'With my 3.8 GPA, I was accepted at Salisbury University. But, I didn't have the resources. And, my parents certainly couldn't pay for it.'

When she learned of Atlantic General's scholarship program, she jumped at the chance to apply.

'It sounded too good to be true,' she said. 'But it wasn't.'

Another goal of the scholarship program is encourage more high school graduates and those looking to begin a second career to choose nursing as their profession.

'With a national nursing shortage continuing, the Barrett nursing scholarship provides us with a steady flow of new nurses to fill positions as Atlantic General continues to grow,' said Jim Brannon, vice president of human resources. 'Additionally, nursing has become a very lucrative career and for some of our students the scholarship is the difference between being able to pursue a degree in nursing or forgoing the opportunities offered in this field.'

Following the recent graduation of four students, there are currently four students enrolled in the scholarship program at Atlantic General Hospital. The application process for new scholarships for the fall is just ending and Atlantic General expects to offer five new scholarships from the numerous applications received.

To qualify, applicants must: work at Atlantic General Hospital a minimum of 12 hours per week during while in the scholarship program; maintain full-time status in the nursing program; work full-time for one year for each year in the scholarship program upon successful completion of the educational program and passing the state licensure exam; and repay all program costs in the event the he or she does not complete the program or fulfill the employment requirements

For more information about the scholarship program or supporting the fund, contact Alice Kalinowski at akalinowski@atlanticgeneral.org.