Walden University announces recipients of six Nurses of the Year scholarships

Walden University today announced the recipients of six Nurses of the Year scholarships. The scholarships were awarded to nurses who are making a positive difference in the lives of their patients, in their organizations and to the future of nursing. The scholarships, first announced during National Nurses Week in May, reflect Walden's social change mission and its commitment to providing access to quality higher education. Nurses who enroll as new students in Walden's Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) or Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) nursing programs are eligible for the scholarships.

Leadership Scholarships were awarded to nurses who are using their leadership abilities to advance the practice of nursing, augment healthcare delivery or improve patient outcomes and who want to further their careers by enrolling in Walden's Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program. The recipients are:

• Michele Williams, pain/palliative care specialist and clinical coordinator at Shore Health System in Easton, Md., a full-tuition DNP scholarship
• Roma Allen, director of women's and children's services at Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare and Walden MSN graduate from Carol Stream, Ill., a $10,000 DNP scholarship  
• Maureen O'Brien, critical care clinical specialist at Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin, N.J., a $5,000 DNP scholarship

"The opportunity to achieve the designation of Doctor of Nursing Practice is an important step in my career. As a long-standing proponent of a smooth transition from cure to palliation to comfort and dignity at the time of death, the DNP provides me with the credentials and credibility to advocate for a comprehensive palliative care program, outpatient and inpatient, which encompasses the entire treatment cycle," scholarship recipient Williams said.

Change-Maker Scholarships were awarded to nurses who are making a positive difference in the life of a patient, healthcare organization or nursing practice and who want to advance their careers by enrolling in Walden's CCNE-accredited Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program. The recipients are:

• Linda Sifuentes, trauma nurse at Seton Medical Center Hays in Kyle, Texas, and a sexual assault nurse examiner (S.A.N.E.) for the Austin/Travis County S.A.N.E. Team and at St. David's Round Rock Medical Center, a full-tuition MSN scholarship
• Lisa Chambers of Lake Forest, Calif.,former nursing education consultant at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, a $10,000 MSN scholarship
• Melissa Wren, PRN, infusion nurse at Biomed Pharmaceuticals and a registered nurse at Saint Luke's Home Health and Hospice, Peculiar, Mo., a $5,000 MSN scholarship

"I plan to continue working as a sexual assault nurse examiner and advance my training to become an emergency family nurse practitioner so that every victim of sexual assault who enters my emergency room will be seen by a trained sexual assault nurse examiner," Sifuentes said. "My goal is to educate hospitals on the importance of having S.A.N.E. programs and to recognize the importance of providing quality medical care and forensic evaluations to every sexual assault victim, no matter the place, time or circumstances."