The Orvis School of Nursing at the University of Nevada, Reno recently announced that with a new grant of $10,000 from the Jonas Center for Nursing and Veterans Healthcare, matched by $10,000 of its own monies, it will fund a scholarship for a doctoral nursing student in 2014.

Mark Quiamzon, who entered the University of Nevada Doctor of Nursing Practice program this fall, has been named the 2014 scholarship recipient.

As a recipient of the Jonas Center grant, the Orvis School of Nursing is part of a national effort to stem the faculty shortage and prepare future nurses as America's healthcare system continues to evolve.

The Orvis School of Nursing's Jonas scholar joins nearly 600 future nurse educators and leaders at 110 schools supported by Jonas Center programs, the Jonas Nurse Leaders Scholars Program and Jonas Veterans Healthcare Program. These scholarships support nurses pursuing PhDs and DNPs, the terminal degrees in the field.

According to Patsy Ruchala, DNSc, RN, director of the Orvis School of Nursing, preparation of nurses at the doctoral level is critical as the nursing profession moves forward in meeting the complex healthcare and educational demands of our citizenry. 

"The 2010 Institute of Medicine report entitled The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health advocates doubling the number of doctorally-prepared nurses. This grant enables the UNR-Orvis School of Nursing to educate more doctorally-prepared nurses for leadership and advanced practice roles in Nevada," she explained, adding: "To have one of our Doctor of Nursing Practice students supported by the Jonas Center for Nursing and Veterans Healthcare is just wonderful, and we are grateful to the Jonas Center for selecting our program as a recipient of this grant."

The Jonas Center, the leading philanthropic funder for nursing, is addressing a critical need, evidenced by troubling data from the AACN showing that 2013 saw the lowest enrollment increase in professional RN programs in the past five years. This is due primarily to a shortage in qualified faculty.

"The call for more nurses - and thus the faculty to prepare them - is massive. Healthcare in America has never been more complex, yet tens of thousands of would-be nurses are turned away from the profession each year," said Donald Jonas, co-founder of the Jonas Center. "We've stepped up the pace and expanded our programs to meet this need."