APRN training funding amendment needs support

government has no part in continuing education for ap nurses. Do they do this for all professions? Where's the budget common sense...stupid politicians!

Then let's move towards socialism...continuing ed for plumbers, engineers, accountants....

One's career is one's career. No one paid for my nursing license and no one pays to renew it yearly so no one should expect a freebie in a free market economy to keep me up to date in my chosen specialty that I chose knowing continuing ed is required to keep current.

The government needs to renew my drivers license...that's coming due pretty soon. If I need glasses they need to pay for those, too.

In my role as an Assistant Dean, I have written successful grants for APRN scholarships. These traineeships are primarily for those who live/work in underserved communites to become primary care providers in those communities.

In my own state of Virginia, I provide partial scholarships to FNP and PNP students from Appalachian or tobacco-growing counties. Nurse salaries in those areas are low (under $20/hour for a RN with 10 years experience), and the hospitals provide $500/year in tuition benefits. So I provide partial scholarships to encourage these RNs to pursue FNP study so they can work as primary care providers in their home communities. These same counties are also health provider shortage areas. For example, one recipient of a scholarship this year lives in a county with only 1 MD for a population of 30,000 (and no NPs). There are no hospitals in the county either. This same county has median family income is $26,000/year according to Wikipedia.

So yes, I write a grant each year to assist RNs from poor counties to become NPs in their home regions. With low salaries and no support from their employers, there are few opportunities for advancement for these individuals other than leaving their home areas. I have been successful in receiving about $100K/year (which provides an 80% scholarship to 10 students each year).

Our FNP classes meet 1 day a week, and some of these students are driving 300 miles each way. They are contining to live and work in their communities, and will stay there after they complete their degrees. Had there not been this federal support for training APRNs, the citizens and clients of these underserved counties would be even worse off.