For the fifth consecutive year, the School of Nursing at California State University, Stanislaus has received grant funding through the Song-Brown Registered Nurse Education Program.

With the $240,000 grant, additional students will be permitted into the university’s nursing program.

“We’re trying to get good students in the program from the area,” said Public Relations Specialist Adrenna Alkhas. “By promoting the program to the community, we’re hoping to draw in more interested students.”

Alkhas said that many students are not aware of grants that may be available to them through the Nursing Master’s Program at CSU Stanislaus.

“There are graduate assistance programs available that help the students receive funding while they’re working and going to school,” said Alkhas. “There are even some hospitals around the region, such as Doctors Medical in Modesto, that will pay for nurses to get a Master's degree. There’s a lot of options available for people to research.”

CSU Stanislaus was one of only two Nursing Programs to receive the full funding amount, beating out 18 other applicants. Funding for the program is based on performance by students on the National Council Licensure Examination, student retention, attracting and retaining minority students, and finding employment opportunities for students in Registered Nursing Shortage Areas.

“Our program excels in these criteria year after year,” said Debbie Tavernier, director of the CSU Stanislaus School of Nursing. “It is important for us to graduate nurses who match our community’s diversity, and for them to pass the NCLEX at the rate they do and to consistently find employment in our region is phenomenal.”

Established in 1973 under the California Health and Safety Code, the Song-Brown program benefits the State of California by increasing the number of family physicians serving the state.

Offered through the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, the Song-Brown program has enabled the CSU Stanislaus School of Nursing to make crucial purchases for the program, including a Community Health Simulation product.

The Song-Brown program has been an important asset to the School of Nursing at CSU Stanislaus, as the school was forced to cut the number of admissions from 80 to 50 students due to state budget cuts in 2008. The university first received the Song-Brown funding in 2009 and has received the grant every year since.

The program has allowed the School of Nursing at CSU Stanislaus to restore ten of the cut spots for admission, bringing the number of students spaces to 60 each year. The program has also helped the School of Nursing hold two student-led health fair screenings to identify previously undetected blood pressure issues and high glucose levels in underserved residents in the region.

To learn more about the California State University, Stanislaus School of Nursing, visit www.csustan.edu/nursing.