Students just beginning school have many scholarship options. The Mary Opal Wolanin Undergraduate Scholarship may be the best award that does not require attendance at a specific university. The scholarship annually awards $1500 to an undergraduate nursing student with intent to pursue gerontology. Most general nursing scholarships, like the Charlotte McGuire Scholarship Program, prioritize those planning to work with underserved populations such as geriatric nursing. To maximize the odds of receipt, check for scholarships that do not explicitly state a required specialty and highlight gerontology as an important field.
Nurses who already have bachelor's degrees can go forward in gerontology work by pursuing a nurse practitioner position with a master's degree. The Alzheimer's/Gerontology Scholarship can help cover costs with its $1000 award; the Mary Opal Wolanin Graduate Scholarship, which gives $500 to a graduate nursing student interested in gerontology, is also helpful. Also, check with the school as many institutions offer general scholarships for either geriatric studies or graduate nursing.
Many states and schools have scholarship programs for studying gerontology. The Rapoport Friedsam Scholarship at the University of North Texas grants $1000 to students planning to work with the aging population. The College of Health and Human Services at Western Michigan University has the Leonard and Frances Gernant Gerontology Scholarship worth $500. Even school organizations, like the Gerontology Alumni Club at Georgia State University's Carol Rowe and Waymon Jones Scholarship, can provide education aid to interested students. Check with professors in the nursing department to investigate any school-specific scholarship opportunity.
Current nurses can apply for grants that fund educational endeavors, such as attending a gerontology conference, or that award nurses for their services. The Cindy Shemansky Travel Scholarship pays for the travel expenses of nurses who wish to attend the National Gerontological Nursing Association annual conference. Additionally, many large scholarships reward great geriatric nursing, like the $100,000 scholarship given to Melissa Aselage of University of North Carolina's Wilmington School of Nursing for her contribution to the field. This scholarship, titled the Building Academic Geriatric Nursing Capacity, annually goes to a nursing student persuing her doctorate degree.