Marquette University
Press Release

Marquette Ph.D. student selected for prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Foundation award

“It is a tremendous honor to receive this scholarship, which will help support my studies in pediatric critical care,” King said.

By - Jul 16th, 2015 09:20 am
Amanda King. Photo courtesy of Marquette University.

Amanda King. Photo courtesy of Marquette University.

MILWAUKEE – Amanda King is among the 46 nurses around the country this year to receive a prestigious Future of Nursing Scholars program award to support her Ph.D. study. The Future of Nursing Scholars program is a multi-funder leadership program, spearheaded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, that is increasing the number of nurses holding Ph.D.s in Wisconsin and around the country. More Ph.D.-prepared nurses are needed to increase the number of nurse leaders, conduct nurse-led science and discovery, and educate the next generation of nurses, the Institute of Medicine has said.

King’s scholarship is funded by RWJF and was awarded by Marquette University. She intends to focus her Ph.D. research on pediatric critical care so she can evaluate how communication and relationships between providers and families can affect the care a child receives. Prior to beginning the program, she was an acute care pediatric nurse practitioner in the intensive care unit and previously a staff nurse on a surgical/trauma unit, both positions at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.

“It is a tremendous honor to receive this scholarship, which will help support my studies in pediatric critical care,” King said. “With this mentorship and financial support, I plan to get my Ph.D. in three years so I can pursue a teaching/research academic appointment within a nursing school upon program completion.”

The Future of Nursing Scholars program provides grants to schools of nursing, so that they can provide scholarships to Ph.D. candidates who will commit to completing the program in three years. King will receive an award of $75,000, as well as mentoring and leadership development over the course of the Ph.D. program.

Less than 1 percent of the nation’s more than 3 million nurses have a Ph.D. in nursing or a related field. In addition, the average age at which nurses get their Ph.D. in the United States is 46—13 years older than Ph.D. earners in other fields. This program will provide an incentive for nurses to start Ph.D. programs earlier, so that they can have long leadership careers after earning their Ph.D.’s.

“The College of Nursing is delighted to receive the prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Future of Nursing Scholars Award. It is a pleasure to welcome Amanda to the Marquette campus and the Ph.D. program in nursing,” said Margaret Bull, Ph.D., MAPS, RN, professor and director of the Ph.D. Program in the College of Nursing at Marquette. “The College of Nursing will supplement the generous RWJF award with a contribution of $50,000 towards her education.”

In addition to RWJF, Johnson & Johnson, Inc., Independence Blue Cross Foundation, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System, and the Rhode Island Foundation are supporting the Future of Nursing Scholars grants to schools of nursing this year.

The Future of Nursing Scholars program launched last year with an inaugural cohort of 16 scholars. This new cohort brings the number of nurses it is supporting to 62.

For more than 40 years the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has worked to improve the health and health care. We are striving to build a national Culture of Health that will enable all to live longer, healthier lives now and for generations to come. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org. Follow the Foundation on Twitter at www.rwjf.org/twitter or on Facebook at www.rwjf.org/facebook.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.

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