HCTC, ARH announce new healthcare scholarship for HCTC nursing students to help students graduate debt free

Hazard Community and Technical College (HCTC) and Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) announced today, August 16, 2022, that a new scholarship provided through ARH for HCTC nursing students would be available for the Fall 2022 semester.  

Over the last three years, the nursing shortage in the Eastern Kentucky region has hit a critical level. The ARH Healthcare Scholarship is one way that HCTC and ARH are partnering to address the crisis. Students who have been accepted into and enrolled in HCTC’s two-year RN program will be eligible to apply for the scholarship. Valued at up to $15,000 per student, the Scholarship offers a path for HCTC nursing students to graduate debt-free by making a commitment to work at ARH after becoming a licensed RN

“We know it’s been a struggle to find nurses in our area for a number of years and we want to do everything we can to help out,” HCTC President Dr. Jennifer Lindon said. “This partnership with ARH allows us to get a number of our nursing students through our program debt-free and into a job immediately after graduation.”

“And we’ll be providing a wealth of benefits to our area’s largest employer with a pipeline for hiring nurses,” she added.

ARH will be offering this scholarship not just to incoming nursing students, but also students in their second, third, and fourth semesters of the program. A total of 25 scholarships will be awarded by ARH in Fall 2022. 

“These types of programs and opportunities are vital in our efforts to produce more nurses in the region, which is a profession that many health systems across the nation are facing a shortage of right now,” ARH Chief People Officer Sonya Bergman said. “Not only is this an investment in the students in our region, but this is also an investment in our community and an investment in the future of healthcare in Appalachia.”

ARH will also be offering any applicable sign-on bonuses and student loan repayment plans offered already through the ARH system to students completing HCTC’s program through the ARH HealthCare Scholarship. 

“We are excited to expand our partnership with HCTC and look forward to bringing this amazing opportunity to the nursing students in this community,” Bergman added.

Go to hazardctv.com/ARHscholarship today to find out more about the scholarship and to fill out the application. 

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