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Investing in Community Care : Bedford Community Health Foundation Provides Scholarships for Nursing Students
Since 2011, Radford University’s School of Nursing and the Bedford Community Health Foundation have engaged in a partnership that has allowed nursing students to receive valuable clinical experience while also providing Bedford residents with an ever-increasing pool of health professionals.
“In order to graduate, nursing students need to have clinical experience in realworld health care environments,” explains Mary Wiley, program officer with the Bedford Community Health Foundation. “Unfortunately, this can mean increased expenses for the students by way of travel and housing. The Bedford Community Health Foundation grant helps offset those expenses.”
The grant is awarded to Radford University School of Nursing graduate and undergraduate students who agree to do their clinical work in the Bedford area. “Frequently, if a student performs their clinical in this area, they will be hired upon graduation,” explains Wiley.
One such student is Amy Johnson, D.N.P. ’13, who was the first recipient of the grant in 2011. “I was doing my clinical hours with Dr. Leonard Cohen at Eastlake Medical Center in Huddleston,” Johnson says. “I spent three semesters with him, learning about his patients, his practice and developing skills alongside him. When I graduated, he offered me a full-time position and six weeks following graduation, I began my full-time career working in collaboration with Dr. Cohen as a nurse practitioner.
“Because of my two years spent there as a student, I had a patient base that knew me, was comfortable with me and willing to accept me as their health care provider,” she adds. “I could not have asked for an easier entry into my career.” Today, Johnson works with Centra Medical Group –Bedford, located inside Centra Bedford Memorial Hospital.
Shannon Dechant, D.N.P. ’17, a 2016-17 recipient of the Bedford Community Health Foundation grant, says, “The scholarship was a blessing to my family. I am married and have two small children. I work full-time as a nurse, and it helped eliminate the need for picking up additional shifts at work. This allowed me to have more time with my family during such a busy season in our lives.”
Dechant continues, “I was also fortunate enough to spend some time with Mary Wiley and was able to hear about all the wonderful things the Bedford Community Health Foundation does for the community.”
“The Foundation board believed that this would be a good investment for the Bedford community,” Wiley explains. “That is why we have awarded the grant every year since 2011.”
According to Wiley, when the program began in 2011, the Foundation awarded $2,000 to Johnson. For the 2016-17 year, a total of $10,000 was awarded to three Radford University nursing students.
“Working, attending graduate school and raising a child is tough, so this grant allowed me to continue with my proposed plan of study without delays,” says May 2017 Doctor of Nursing Practice graduate and grant recipient Anne Saunier.
“I ended up working with several providers in the Bedford area for the last two years,” Saunier explains. “This has been a wonderful experience to precept with doctors and nurse practitioners in the community in which I live, work and raise my family.
“I feel there will be numerous opportunities in Bedford for me to practice in a variety of care settings and give back to my Bedford family. I would not hesitate to take a job opportunity in Bedford.”
Which is exactly what Wiley and the Bedford Community Health Foundation want to hear.
“I believe that this partnership has been very successful. When I speak to the students, they are very appreciative,” she says. ■
