Farm Bureau Nurse Practitioner Program Does Double Duty

The Rural Nurse Practitioner Scholarship Program offered by Illinois Farm Bureau does double duty. How so? It helps out nurses and it helps out rural healthcare. It's a win-win for everyone!

Twenty percent of the U.S. population lives in rural areas, but only nine percent of physicians practice there. The Rural Nurse Practitioner Scholarship Program (RNPSP), now in its twenty-first year, supports nurses who want to become nurse practitioners and serve in rural communities. Five scholarship grants of $4000 each are awarded to nurse practitioner students who agree to practice for two years in an approved rural area in Illinois. The program is sponsored by the Illinois Farm Bureau and the Illinois State Medical Society.

According to Mariah Dale-Anderson, who heads up the program for IFB, "This scholarship has helped many qualified applicants hurdle financial needs or borderline academic barriers to receive a medical education. In all, more than 55 students have benefited from loans and recommendations to the University of Illinois."

Applications are available at your county Farm Bureaus or on the Rural Illinois Medical Student Assistance Program website at RIMSAP.com. You can also contact Mariah Dale-Anderson at 309-557-2350, or e-mail her at mdale-anderson@ilfb.org. 

Applications are due May 1.