ONS Career Guide ONS CAREER GUIDE 2018.web | Page 10

Awards, Grants, and Scholarships Are Available Through the ONS Foundation O ncology nurses can use various types of awards, grants, and scholarships to ad- vance their careers. Through the ONS Foundation, ONS’s charitable arm, nurses have many options. Linda Worrall, RN, MSN, executive director of the ONS Foundation, presented an overview of the awards, grants, and scholarships that the Foundation has available for oncology nurses. Academic Opportunities The ONS Foundation provides academic scholarships, career development awards, re- search funding, and project funding, Worrall said. When it comes to academic scholarships, funding opportunities are available for med- ical professionals working toward a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN), a master of science in nursing (MSN), a doctor of nursing practice degree (DNP), or doctoral (PhD) or doctor of nursing science (DNSc) degrees. Each degree receives a different range in funding, and “we do evaluate that dollar amount annually,” Worrall said. She warned that although you can only receive one scholarship per academic level, you can receive scholarship money in each of the four academic levels. The BSN academic scholarships (award- ed at $3,000–$5,000), which Worrall noted has the highest volume of applicants, has three levels of criteria: • Individuals in school who are not cur- rently nurses • Individuals with a college degree in another field • Individuals with a current RN license (diploma or associates degree) The MSN academic scholarships ($5,000) have two levels available: • Individuals with a current RN license • Individuals with a bachelors in another field The DNP and PhD/DNSc scholarship opportunities are awarded at $5,000–$7,500 at a single level. Other Options for Awards and Funding Academic scholarships are not the only options for oncology nurses; the ONS 10 ONS 2018–2019 CAREER GUIDE Foundation provides career development awards, research funding, project funding, and ONS chapter funding. Nurses seeking continuing nursing ed- ucation credits can apply for the following career development awards: • ONS Past Presidents’ Leadership Devel- opment Scholarship: $1,200 • ONS Congress Scholarship: $1,200 • Bone Marrow Transplant Education: $1,200 Nurses seeking research funding have the following options: • Dissertation grants: $5,000 • Career development: $20,000 • Research grants: $25,000+ The ONS Foundation has $5,000 available for cancer public education projects, and ONS chapter funding provides a Leadership Weekend scholarship and Breast Cancer Community Center scholarship, each pro- viding $1,500. Worrall suggested that when applying for academic scholarships, it might be best to wait a bit before official submission and submit closer to the application deadline. “Don’t submit too early,” she said. “A lot can happen in those four to six months.” If you completed a new academic project after you already submitted your application, you’ll have to create a new application to make sure that the new information is included. Worrall also added, “Make sure that if you say you’ve done the research, that you’ve really done the research.” Although the ONS Foundation already provides numerous grants and scholarships for nurses, Worrall said that open commu- nication is important, especially if you are a nurse just starting your career. For assistance or questions, email Wor- rall at [email protected]. n Worrall, L. (2018). Advance your career through awards, Grants, and Scholarships. Session presented at the ONS 43rd Annual Congress, Washington, DC, May 17, 2018. Retrieved from https:// ons.confex.com/ons/2018/meetingapp.cgi/Session/1608 Application Tips and Tricks The ONS Foundation uses GrantMaker, which helps nurses apply for grants and scholarships through a step by step process. By creating a GrantMaker ID and logging in to create an application, the program “will tell you if you’ve submitted the grant or not,” Worrall said. “This is where people can get confused.” “If your grant doesn’t say ‘submitted,’ it is not submitted,” she added. The program can also be used to save your application continuously, so you don’t have to start over if you are not ready to submit. Once the application is submitted through GrantMaker, it undergoes staff and review team analysis using a set scoring tool. The team will then lead a final review and provide its recommendations to the ONS Foundation Board of Trustees. GrantMaker can make the grant applica- tion process much easier, but Worrall stressed that the ONS Foundation is available to go through all components of eligibility as well. “Have a question? Give us a call,” she said. “We want to make sure we are giving the money to people who will make an impact.” Quick Tips for ONS Foundation Awards Don’t forget these helpful tips when applying for ONS Foundation awards, which include the following: • Review eligibility criteria to ensure you meet the requirements before you apply. • When an application question has more than one part, be sure to provide an answer to each part. • Ask a trusted colleague to review any essays to ensure you have answered the questions and that you were clear in your response. • Don’t forget to review your application (watch for typos), save often, validate, and submit prior to the deadline. • When in doubt, contact the ONS Foundation.