Covington, LA – AgriSafe is pleased to announce that applications are open for the 2024 Nurse
Scholar program, and that there are scholarships available for 125 individuals. The deadline to
apply for a scholarship is April 8, 2024.
To be eligible to receive a scholarship, nurses must:
- Be employed by a rural health clinic, FQHC, government agency, non-profit hospital or
organization, or work in academia - Demonstrate an interest and ability to integrate learnings into their practices
- Work in a rural and medically underserved area, as defined by the Health Resources &
Services Administration
“Rural nurses are the backbone of healthcare in remote areas, often serving as the first point of
contact for individuals and families,” said AgriSafe’s CEO, Natalie Roy. “They provide essential
care for rural Americans. By supporting their continued education, we are ensuring they stay
rooted in their communities.”
Individuals living in rural areas are more likely to die from heart disease, cancer, unintentional
injury, chronic lower respiratory disease, and stroke than those in urban areas. In fact, in 2019,
death rates for rural Americans were 19% higher for males and 21% higher for females
compared to their urban counterparts (NCHS Data Brief, 2021).
Despite the higher rates of death per population in rural areas, there are fewer healthcare
professionals to be found. In 2021, there were 63.9 Registered Nurses and 8.4 Nurse
Practitioners per 10,000 people in rural areas, compared to 95.3 Registered Nurses and 10.4
Nurse Practitioners per 10,000 people in urban areas (HRSA, Area Health Resource Files, 2021-
2022).
AgriSafe launched the Nurse Scholar program in 2018 to address these gaps and prepare nurses
working in rural communities to meet the occupational health needs of farmers and ranchers.
Since 2018, AgriSafe has trained 274 nurses across 41 states. Based on a 2022 program
evaluation, 91% of Nurse Scholar participants reported an intent to make a change to their
practice and/or personal life after completing the program. These changes will result in better
care for rural communities.
AgriSafe is grateful to CHS, Bayer, and Kroger for funding the Nurse Scholar program. If you’re
interested in supporting AgriSafe’s programming, email Allison Flynn (aflynn@agrisafe.org).
For media inquiries, contact Laura Siegel (lsiegel@agrisafe.org).
