The scholarship application process opens February 1st
to apply for the 2008-2009 academic year.
The deadline to submit applications and all supporting materials is April 1st.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Educational Advancement Scholarships advance the art and science of critical care nursing and promote nursing professionalism. The scholarships support AACN members who are registered nurses completing a baccalaureate or graduate degree program in nursing.

Award recipients receive $1,500 per academic year. The funds are made available in August through the financial aid office of the student's college or university. The funds may be used for tuition, fees, books and supplies, as long as the recipient is continuously enrolled in a baccalaureate or graduate program accredited by the State Board of Nursing within the student's state. Funds unused due to graduation or dropping out of the program will be returned to AACN by the college or university.

On-Line application submission
  • Completed along with a cover checklist page and supporting documents, must be postmarked on or before April 1 to be considered. Incomplete or late applications will not be accepted.
  • Please read over the user tips and familiarize yourself with the on-line application process by visiting this link. www.scholarshipadministrators.net
  • All required supporting documents must accompany the Cover checklist page. - see section II
Review Process

Applications postmarked by April 1 are reviewed by AACN to verify eligibility (see eligibility criteria). Applications that are deemed eligible are forwarded to a selection committee of AACN volunteers. The selection committee uses a blind review process in which the committee members only review the narrative/exemplar portions of each application. The narratives/exemplars are reviewed based on the following criteria:

  • Comprehensiveness of response
  • Dedication to patient care outcomes
  • Modeling of professional commitment
  • Relation to the AACN vision
  • Ability to clearly communicate in writing

The selection committee is NOT provided any information regarding the identity of the applicants. All personal information submitted with the applications (contact information, employment and school information, transcripts) remain confidential and are only used by AACN staff for identification and communication purposes and to determine eligibility.

Notification

All applicants are notified by mail regarding the decision of the selection committee at the end of July. The names of recipients and their institutions are published in AACN News and other publications. Scholarship sponsors receive the names of recipients and their institutions.

Questions

If you have questions regarding the AACN Educational Advancement Scholarships, call 800-899-2226 or e-mail info@aacn.org.

BSN SCHOLARSHIPS

Successful applicants will describe how their nursing practice will change as a result of the pursuant degree. Additionally, the applicant will describe contributions to critical care nursing, which include work, community and professional activities.

Section I - Eligibility Criteria for BSN Scholarships
  • AACN membership
  • Active RN license
  • Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better
  • Currently working in critical care or have worked in critical care for at lease one year in the past three years
  • Junior or upper division status for the following fall semester
  • Current enrollment in or acceptance to a nursing program accredited by the State Board of Nursing for the following fall semester.
Section II - Required Documents
  • Completed online application for BSN Scholarship form
  • Official transcripts for all nursing education courses completed. AACN requires the transcripts to be official documents from the college or university, stamped with the college seal and submitted in a sealed envelope.
    • For students already enrolled in a BSN program, you should submit transcripts for all courses completed in the BSN program.
    • For students who have been accepted to a BSN program but who have yet to begin course work, you should submit transcripts from the nursing education program that fulfilled the requirements to take the RN licensure exam.
  • Verification letter from place of employment, including dates of employment and description of area of critical care practice. (See Sec I-D)
  • Enrollment verification letter or acceptance letter from your institution verifying your junior or upper division status in the BSN program for the following fall semester. (See Sec I-E and I-F)
    • For students already enrolled in a BSN program, you should submit an enrollment verification letter.
    • For students who have been accepted to a BSN program but who have yet to begin course work, you should submit a acceptance letter.
  • Completed BSN Scholarship Narratives #1 and #2 online (See Sec IV-B and IV -C)
Section III - Restrictions
  • There is a lifetime maximum of two AACN Educational Advancement Scholarships per individual.
  • Members of the AACN or AACN Certification Corporation Boards of Directors, AACN staff and AACN volunteers participating in the selection committee are ineligible.
Section IV - BSN Scholarship Narratives
  • Please follow these guidelines when preparing your narratives:
    • One page, typed each
    • Double spaced, 12pt font size maximum
    • Narratives should not include personal information, including your name, school, hospital, or other identifying information due to the blind review process (See General Information - Review Process).
    • It is strongly recommended that you have your narrative proofread.
  • BSN Scholarship Narrative #1
    Describe how you see your nursing practice changing as a result of your baccalaureate degree
  • BSN Scholarship Narrative #2
    Describe your contributions to critical care nursing, including work, community and professional activities.

GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIPS

Successful applicants will describe how their nursing practice will change as a result of the pursuant degree.

Section I - Eligibility Criteria for BSN Scholarships
  • AACN membership
  • Active RN license
  • Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better
  • Currently working in critical care or have worked in critical care for at lease one year in the past three years
  • Graduate of a baccalaureate degree program
  • Current enrollment in or acceptance to a nursing program leading to a master's or doctorate degree in nursing.
Section II - Required Documents
  • Completed online application for Graduate Scholarship form
  • Official transcripts for all nursing education courses completed. AACN required the transcripts to be official documents from the college or university, stamped with the college seal and submitted in a sealed envelope.
    • For students already enrolled in a graduate program, you should submit transcripts for all courses completed in the graduate program.
    • For students who have been accepted to a graduate program but who have yet to begin course work, you should submit transcripts from your baccalaureate program.
  • Verification letter from place employment, including dates of employment and description of area of critical care practice. (See Sec I-D)
  • Enrollment verification letter or acceptance letter from your institution verifying your status in the graduate program for the following fall semester. (See Sec I-E and I-F)
    • For students already enrolled in a graduate program, you should submit an enrollment verification letter.
    • For students who have been accepted to a graduate program but who have yet to begin course work, you should submit a acceptance letter.
  • Completed Graduate Scholarship Narrative and Exemplar online. (See Sec IV-B and IV -C)
Section III - Restrictions
  • There is a lifetime maximum of two AACN Educational Advancement Scholarships per individual.
  • Members of the AACN or AACN Certification Corporation Boards of Directors, AACN staff and AACN volunteers participating in the selection committee are ineligible.
Section IV - Graduate Scholarship Narrative and Exemplar
  • Please follow these guidelines when preparing your narrative and exemplar:
    • One page, typed each
    • Double spaced, 12pt font size maximum
    • Narrative and exemplar should not include personal information, including your name, school, hospital, or other identifying information due to the blind review process (See General Information - Review Process).
    • It is strongly recommended that you have your narrative and exemplar proofread.
  • Graduate Scholarship Narrative
    Describe how you see your nursing practice changing as a result of your graduate degree.
  • Graduate Scholarship Exemplar
    Provide an exemplar describing a situation where your intervention affected patient and family outcomes.
    What is an exemplar?

    An exemplar is a story used to communicate the complexity of your nursing practice by describing a situation(s) where your intervention affected patient and family outcomes. Through the exemplar, you reveal the medical and scientific knowledge, nursing skills, technical expertise, critical thinking and assessment abilities involved in choosing and applying nursing interventions and caring practices.

    Write so others - a patient, family member, someone from the general public, a physician and even another nurse- can grasp the nature of your work and its value to patients and society. Include details so that the reader can visualize the situation and become engrossed in the story.

    What should be included?
    • How long you have practiced in critical care and in your current position
    • What was the situation and how you intervened
    • What specific skills were required for your intervention
    • How did your intervention affect patient and family outcomes
    • How did you determine the appropriate action
    • What thinking led to your decision
    • What evidence was your decision based on
    • What was happening with the patient and family and how did that affect your actions

AACN is proud to support additional scholarship opportunities for nursing students who have not yet received their RN license through the National Student Nurses Association (NSNA). To receive an application for these scholarships please contact NSNA at www.nsna.org or 718-210-0705. The application deadline is January 13.