COVINGTON, LOUISIANA (March 15, 2024) — AgriSafe is pleased to announce that applications are open for the 2024 Nurse Scholar program, and that there are scholarships available for 125 individuals. The deadline to apply for a scholarship is April 8, 2024.
To be eligible to receive a scholarship, nurses must:
• Be employed by a rural health clinic, FQHC, government agency, non-profit hospital or organization, or work in academia;
• Demonstrate an interest and ability to integrate learnings into their practices; and
• Work in a rural and medically-underserved area, as defined by the Health Resources and Services Administration.
"Rural nurses are the backbone of health-care in remote areas, often serving as the first point of contact for individuals and families," said AgriSafe’s CEO, Natalie Roy. “They provide essential care for rural Americans. By supporting their continued education, we are ensuring they stay rooted in their communities.”
Individuals living in rural areas are more likely to die from heart disease, cancer, unintentional injury, chronic lower respiratory disease, and stroke than those in urban areas. In fact, in 2019, death rates for rural Americans were 19% higher for males and 21% higher for females compared to their urban counterparts (NCHS Data Briefs, 2021).
Despite the higher rates of death per population in rural areas, there are fewer healthcare professionals to be found. In 2021, there were 63.9 Registered Nurses and 8.4 Nurse Practitioners per 10,000 people in rural areas, compared to 95.3 Registered Nurses and 10.4 Nurse Practitioners per 10,000 people in urban areas (HRSA, Area Health Resource Files, 2021-2022).
AgriSafe launched the Nurse Scholar program in 2018 to address these gaps and prepare nurses working in rural communities to meet the occupational health needs of farmers and ranchers. Since 2018, AgriSafe has trained 274 nurses across 41 states. Based on a 2022 program evaluation, 91% of Nurse Scholar participants reported an intent to make a change to their practice and/or personal life after completing the program. These changes will result in better care for rural communities.
AgriSafe is grateful to CHS, Bayer, and Kroger for funding the Nurse Scholar program. If you’re interested in supporting AgriSafe’s programming, email Allison Flynn (aflynn@agrisafe.org). For media inquiries, contact Laura Siegel (lsiegel@agrisafe.org).
About AgriSafe Network
AgriSafe Network is a national 501©3 non-profit that educates health-care professionals and agricultural communities about important health and safety information for those working in the agriculture, fishing, forestry, and logging industries. We bring together national experts to develop educational materials that can be delivered both digitally and in-person. For more information, visit our website, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
