                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

NURSING SCHOLARSHIPS (§ 23.1-614)

A. As used in this section:
			&#8220;Graduate nursing program&#8221; means a program at a school of nursing
that leads to a master&#8217;s degree or doctorate in nursing or a field
relating to nursing activities.
			&#8220;Undergraduate nursing program&#8221; means a program at a school of
nursing that leads to an associate degree, diploma, or baccalaureate degree in
nursing.

B. Annual nursing scholarships are established for part-time and full-time
Virginia students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate nursing programs or
first-year Virginia students at the beginning of their first academic year who
present to the advisory committee established pursuant to subsection D a notice
of intention to pursue an undergraduate nursing program.

C. Undergraduate nursing scholarships shall not exceed $2,000 annually. Graduate
nursing scholarships shall not exceed $4,000 annually. No scholarship shall be
less than $150 annually. Scholarship funds shall be paid directly to the
recipient.

D. Each nursing scholarship shall be made by an advisory committee appointed by
the State Board of Health that consists of eight members, four of whom shall be
deans or directors of schools of nursing or their designees, two of whom shall
be past recipients of nursing scholarships awarded pursuant to this section, two
of whom shall have experience in the administration of student financial aid
programs, and at least two of whom shall not have served as members of the
advisory committee during the previous two years. Appointments shall be for
two-year terms. No member of the advisory committee is eligible to serve more
than two consecutive two-year terms immediately succeeding any unexpired term
for which such member was appointed.

E. Awards shall be made upon such basis, competitive or otherwise, as determined
by the advisory committee, with due regard for scholastic attainments,
character, need, and adaptability of the applicant for the service contemplated
in such award. No award shall be made if the applicant fails to possess the
requisite qualifications. With due consideration of the number of applications
and the qualifications of all such applicants, the advisory committee shall, to
the extent that it is practicable, award an equal number of scholarships among
the various congressional districts within the Commonwealth.

F. Before any such scholarship is awarded, the applicant shall agree in a signed
written contract to complete a nursing program and, upon completion, to promptly
begin and continuously engage in nursing work in the Commonwealth in a region
with a critical shortage of nurses for one month for each $100 of scholarship
awarded. The requirement for continuous engagement in nursing work may be waived
by the advisory committee if the scholarship recipient requests leave to pursue
an undergraduate or graduate degree in nursing or relating to nursing
activities. The contract shall contain such other provisions as the State Board
of Health determines to be necessary to accomplish the purposes of the
scholarship.

G. Each scholarship shall be awarded for a single award year and may be renewed
annually for up to four additional award years upon a showing of satisfactory
progress toward completion of the relevant nursing program.

HISTORY: 1950, pp. 1291, 1292, §§ 23-35.9, 23-35.10, 23-35.11, 23-35.12,
23-35.13; 1956, c. 644; 1962, c. 81; 1966, c. 162; 1968, c. 441; 1970, c. 653;
1973, c. 401; 1974, c. 654; 1989, c. 330; 2002, c. 290; 2016, c. 588.