Nursing Scholarships Archives - YARMOUTH HOSPITAL FOUNDATION

Helping Nursing Students in Yarmouth

Dr. Shelley Cobbett in one of several clinical learning and simulation center labs at the Dalhousie School of Nursing (Yarmouth Campus).

If you want to learn about the changes seen in nursing education throughout the past 35 years, Dr. Shelley Cobbett is one of the best people to speak to. A faculty member of the Dalhousie School of Nursing (Yarmouth Campus) since its inception in 1995, as well as during its previous iteration as the Yarmouth Regional Hospital School of Nursing since 1988, she has been the site administrator since 2019. She has had a true firsthand view of this ever-evolving field.

“I graduated from the Yarmouth School of Nursing in ’84, at a time when there were no nursing positions to be seen east of Ontario. Right now, we’re in a shortage,” Shelley explains. But more has changed than just availability of positions. “It’s rare that a student can go to university and not have to work. It’s not like it was 15-20 years ago when they were being told “Thou shalt not work while going to school for nursing”. That’s not the reality anymore.”

With times such as they are, the Yarmouth Hospital Foundation recognizes that scholarships are more important than ever. We are proud to offer nine scholarships to first-year students accepted and enrolled full-time in the Dalhousie University Bachelor of Science Nursing program (Yarmouth Campus). “We always work very closely with the foundation. The scholarships are amazing,” says Shelley. “We see the difference in some of our students’ lives, especially those students who are really struggling financially.”

If you are a first-year student attending the Dalhousie School of Nursing, learn more today! We’re here to help foster the next generation of healthcare professionals. The deadline for this years’ applications is September 30, 2024.

YHF Nursing Scholarships

Hospitals are bustling, complex systems full of skilled and educated individuals, any of whom the healthcare system would not be able to function without. But ask anyone and they will tell you – the beating heart of any hospital is its nurses.

One of these nurses is Perioperative Team Lead Deborah Janke. Having been an LPN in the operating room for 10 years, she decided to further her training and become an RN. “An RN is often in charge of a care plan or in charge of more acute patients, but they also do more management and take on more of an educator role,” Deborah explains. But beginning any such journey can be daunting, with financial concerns substantial consideration. As Deborah remembers, “I still had a mortgage, still had car payments, still had all those things in life that I had to pay for.” Luckily, the Yarmouth Hospital Foundation was here to help.

With a number of nursing scholarships specifically available for students attending the Dalhousie University Bachelor of Science Nursing program (Yarmouth Campus), we at the foundation are proud to support the next generation of nurses. “Many others in my class received them,” says Deborah “and everybody who had them was grateful for the help! The school was really helpful in letting us know about the scholarships and showing us how to apply, etc. I was very happy about it.”

If you’re taking the next big step in your education at Dalhousie School of Nursing (Yarmouth Campus), check out our scholarships today!

Fostering the Next Generation of Nursing

A generous Yarmouth couple has endowed the Yarmouth Hospital Foundation’s newest scholarship — an annual $1,000 scholarship for students enrolled in the LPN program at the Burridge campus of Nova Scotia Community College.

“It’s our way of giving back,” say foundation supporters Ron and Bev Smith. They decided to make this incredible contribution as an endowment to the Licensed Practical Nursing program because it’s a gift that keeps on giving. (An endowment means that the principal is invested and the return on the investment covers the scholarship each year.)

Ron knows about investments — he had a career as chief financial officer in several industries. Ron and Bev also both have strong connections to the healthcare field — Bev as a nurse and Ron as a former chair and director of the IWK Health Centre. They both grew up in Yarmouth, but they moved back from the Halifax area in 2006 when they retired. They quickly found their ideal home with a huge picture window giving them a beautiful view of Lake Milo.

Bev and Ron are particularly concerned about the stresses aging baby boomers like themselves are placing on healthcare and the need to step up recruitment of professionals in the field. “Our scholarship is a way to make a tangible difference for years to come,” Ron says, adding they hope their gift will inspire others to contribute.

Bev remembers how important it was to her own nursing career to receive a $500 scholarship. That was in 1970, she says. It paid her tuition and some other expenses.

The Smiths’ scholarship joins two others for the Burridge program that are funded by the foundation. The foundation also administers nine scholarships to the Dalhousie School of Nursing, Yarmouth Campus.

LPNs may make up to 50 percent of the nursing staff in some departments at the Yarmouth hospital, and the Burridge program has a reputation for more hands-on clinical experience than available at similar programs elsewhere in the province. “We hope our scholarship can inspire some young people to enter the nursing field,” Bev says.

Further details regarding scholarship applications will be available in September.

2023 Nursing Scholarship Winners Announced

Yarmouth Hospital Foundation awards scholarships to first year students accepted and enrolled full-time in the Dalhousie University Bachelor of Science Nursing Program at the Yarmouth Campus (Direct Entry or Advanced). Preference is given to candidates who, upon graduation, plan to seek employment at Yarmouth Regional Hospital. This year, eight scholarships were awarded.

“Nurses are the most-frequent touchpoint for patients in our regional hospital. Yarmouth Hospital Foundation is honoured to be able to support them from the very beginning of their careers,” says YHF Board Chair Angela Greene.

This year’s winners are:

YHF SCHOLARSHIP $5,000: Erin Smith

DAVID R. HALL SCHOLARSHIP (in memory of Dr. Margaret Churchill) $5,000: Katherine Gilliat

SCHOLARSHIP A $3,000: Sarah Warner

SCHOLARSHIP B $3,000: Andrea Ferguson

SCHOLARSHIP C $3,000: Erin Amirault

DRs. RAJENDER & ASHA PARKASH SCHOLARSHIP $2,500: Jilliann Hatt

EILEEN R. MORISSET SCHOLARSHIP $2,000: Gracie Nickerson

LINA & ALPHIE COMEAU MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP $1,500: Chaley Surette

YHF announces three new nursing scholarships

Yarmouth Hospital Foundation is delighted to announce the creation of three additional scholarships for students entering the Dalhousie University Bachelor of Science Nursing (BScN) program (Yarmouth Campus) beginning this fall. Thanks to a generous gift from an anonymous donor, intended to support education, an endowment has been created that will provide for additional $3000 School of Nursing scholarships every year. This addition brings our scholarship total to nine.

Mary Surette, Managing Director of Yarmouth Hospital Foundation, notes that she is “Simply overwhelmed by this most generous support and the wonderful opportunities that these scholarships will give to our future health care providers and leaders.”

These scholarships join four other endowment-created scholarships provided by donors from the Tri-County area, and two that are funded directly by Yarmouth Hospital Foundation, including the new for 2022 Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity scholarship named for local heroine Sara Corning. “With the current rising need of healthcare workers there is an opportunity for Yarmouth Hospital Foundation to assist in our community,” notes Board Chair Neil LeBlanc, “and to invest in the future of health care in the Tri-County area.”

This year, approximately 36 new students will begin their training; with nine scholarships available, that means scholarships will be awarded to about 25 percent of this year’s entering class.

For more information and to apply, see http://yarmouthhospitalfoundation.ca/nursing-scholarships/

Pictured: 2021’s Nursing Scholarship winners: (L-R) Faughne Stewart, Brett Reeves, Montana Millet, Savana d’Entremont and Alexa Jeffery

YHF Nursing Scholarship Video: Alicia Wheatley

When Alicia Wheatley’s health issues were resolved, she was left with a strong desire to give back and help others as she was helped. She successfully applied to the Dalhousie School of Nursing in Yarmouth and was helped along her journey by a scholarship awarded by the Yarmouth Hospital Foundation.

Alicia’s husband Mike helped her tell her story through this video. Thank you both!