Regis College has received a $819,253 grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) to help offset tuition costs for Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) graduates and address the regional and nationwide nursing educator gap which is exacerbating the nursing shortage. In only two years, Regis has graduated more than 1,500 nurses.
Through the NFLP program, DNP graduates can have up to 85 percent of their student loan forgiven over four years while serving as a full-time faculty or Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) preceptor at an accredited school of nursing.
Regis has been the recipient of the NFLP award for more than a decade. Nationally renowned for the Richard and Sheila Young School of Nursing, Regis adds more than 900 new nurses to America’s health care workforce each year.
“Recognizing the increasing shortage of practicing nurses and nursing faculty, Regis is proud to provide tuition assistance to more than 60 Doctor of Nursing Practice educators and Advanced Practice Registered Nurse preceptors during the upcoming academic year,” said C. Andrew Martin, DNP, MS, RN, CNE, ACRN, CHPN, Regis’ NFLP Project Director and associate professor of nursing. “With these federal funds, Regis remains committed to making meaningful contributions to addressing the nursing shortage by educating the next generation of nursing faculty. The university is grateful for the Health Resources and Services Administration’s support and proud to be a NFLP partner with HRSA since 2008.”
“I have been a nurse for 21 years and pursuing my doctoral degree has always been a goal. However, as a full-time working mom the financial burden was a barrier for our family. The Nurse Faculty Loan Program provided me an opportunity to pursue a career goal that I would have not been able to prioritize financially. I was grateful to receive the support of NFLP. I am excited to grow as an educator and give back to the nursing profession by helping other undergraduate and graduate nursing students pursue their educational goals and impact nursing,” said Teaessa Chism, DNP ‘24.
“During my master's program, one of my amazing mentors inspired me to get my DNP. My career goal has always been to educate nurses at all levels. I already had a significant debt to repay and didn’t know if another degree would be obtainable. When I began searching for the right DNP program for me, I came across Regis College, which offered the Nurse Faculty Loan program. Through this program, I was able to reach my career goal of being able to teach nurses at all levels of education. I am thankful for this program and the future it has allowed me to have in nursing education,” said Wendy Davidson, DNP '24.
