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A $5 million gift from Joanne and Bill Conway will go towards supporting the University of Virginia’s (UVA) fast-track-to-nursing program for non-nurses entering the profession. Their gift will go into effect in 2018, extending a gift bestowed in 2013 and furthering the couple’s support of the UVA School of Nursing.

The Conway’s contributions to UVA have helped diversify the nursing student body by bringing a particular focus to students from underrepresented and minority groups, including men. Their newest gift is expected to provide scholarships to over 110 new nurses over five years, bringing new skills and experience from outside nursing to the bedside. School of Nursing Dean, Dorrie K. Fontaine, told UVAToday,

“The Conways are forging real, meaningful change in nursing because they’re bringing even more people to nursing who look like, talk like, and understand the patients they serve.”

New funding from the Conway’s is coming at a monumental moment for UVA as they celebrate the 10th year of their first Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) master’s program. The program was the first of its kind in Virginia, providing a path to nursing for non-nurses who hold a bachelor’s degree or higher in another field. Students in the fast-track-to-nursing program spend two years attending intensive academic courses before starting clinical rotations with a personal veteran nurse preceptor.

Graduating with over 1,000 hours of clinical experience, CNLs graduate as entry-level nurses but usually rise quickly into leadership and management positions due to their maturity level and diversified experience. To learn more about UVA’s CNL program and the Conway’s philanthropic gifts, visit here.

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