Dan Evans Memorial Nursing Scholarship
It is now more than 55 years since the Forty and Eight, recognizing the ever growing shortage of trained nurses in this country, decided to begin a program that would provide scholarships to deserving individuals who were willing to undergo formal training and make a career in this very noble profession. Voiture 1120 of the 40&, is proud to make available a nursing scholarship in the amount up to $1,500 to be awarded each spring and fall.
Applicants must:
1. Must be registered in a degree/licensing program for licensed practical nurses or registered nurses.
2. Submit an application with a 200-500 word essay explaining what nursing means to you and what your vision for the future of nursing may be.
3. Must be able to attend the 40&8 meeting when the schoarship is awarded at the Vietnam Veterans Hootch located immediately adjacent to the America Legion, Lake Ella and agree to release authority to print an award picture for advertising in order to receive award.
When Are Scholarships Awarded and How Can I Apply?
Applications are awarded in the spring and the fall. To apply, download the application form below.
2022 Scholarship Recipient
What Does Nursing Mean to Me?
Growing up, I always knew that I wanted to help others by working in the healthcare field. Every year for Christmas, I would ask for pretend arm casts and wheelchairs for my dolls, while my sister would ask for pretty dresses and accessories for her dolls. As I got older, my appreciation for the healthcare field was very apparent when I had to go to the doctor for any reason. I was always excited to go and would look at all the posters in the examination room. I asked the doctors a ton of questions because I just wanted to know how everything worked.
When I started college, I decided to first, complete a degree in Family and Child Sciences at Florida State University. I knew that this degree would help me to appreciate the family unit as a whole and allow me to have a further understanding of how important it is to have family support when someone is sick. While I was a student at Florida State, I met my now fiancé, who is currently serving in the United States Marine Corps. I decided that becoming a nurse would allow me to fulfill my dreams of working in the healthcare field while also having the flexibility to move around often due to the military lifestyle. I now have about 6 more months of school left at Tallahassee Community College and then I will be able to move to Texas where my fiancé is currently stationed. I am thrilled to be able to help people on their worst days and hopefully shine a light into their lives. Nursing is one of the few healthcare professions that allows you to really be able to form a continuing relationship with your patients and heal them emotionally as well as physically. This is a huge part of why I chose this field.
My vision for the future of nursing includes safer staffing ratios. I am currently an extern in the Trauma Intensive Care Unit, and I can see just how important it is to make sure that the nurses only have a certain number of patients. The Covid- 19 pandemic has heavily impacted the healthcare field and it is more short staffed than ever, caused higher patient to nurse ratios. This can lead to a higher incidence of nursing burnout, and it turns into a vicious cycle.
Thankfully, Tallahassee Community College decided to double the amount of nursing students they admit each semester in 2020, so hopefully this will get more people into the workforce and help us to fight nurse burnout. While the Covid-19 pandemic has heavily impacted the field of nursing, I think that there are more people interested in working in healthcare and there is overall a greater respect for healthcare workers. I am excited to begin my career in nursing and be able to achieve my lifelong dream of working in healthcare.