The UVAHS Professional Nursing Staff Organization

Professional Development
Funding Assistance for UVA Nurses

Nurses are encouraged to explore funding support options in pursuing professional development opportunities. Their many options include:  

  • Funding support through practice areas' operational budgets; nurses should contact their Nurse Manager or Administrator regarding availability of local funds
  • Human Resources' Employee Benefits programs for Educational Assistance.

The UVA Nurses' Professional Development Fund and related offerings are a potential resource when RNs wish for assistance in participating in a professional development opportunity, and funding is unavailable from other sources. See the details below on:   

bullet gray    Nursing Scholarship Program 

bullet gray   The Nurses' Professional Development Fund 

bullet gray    Support for Nursing Certifications 

bullet gray   Improving the Fund through Donations and Feedback    

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 Nursing Scholarship Program

The Nursing Scholarship Program offers scholarship opportunities for qualified Medical Center employees to pursue undergraduate nursing degrees. 

All Full-time employees, and Flex Option employees budgeted at 0.6 FTE or higher, with a minimum of one year of service prior to application are eligible to apply.  Benefits from this program will be available in addition to Tuition Waiver and Tuition Reimbursement.  The program is centrally funded and administered to ensure that all eligible Medical Center employees have equal access, regardless of the budget limitations of their department.  

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The Nurses' Professional Development Fund

The Professional Development Fund for Nurses assists classified registered nurses (Clin II and above) in pursuing professional development applicable to leadership or clinical activities, through financial support.  For more information, click the links below.

gray bullet  Applying for funding
     Step 1:
Review the PD Application Instructions
     Step 2: Fill out and submit the PD
Fund Application Form [revised 8/2008]  

gray bullet  How recipients are chosenReview the worksheet that guides the panel in applying consistent criteria for all applicants. [revised 7/2007]  

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Funding Support for Professional Certifications

The Nurses' Certification Support Fund was started in 2006 with a generous personal donation by Dr. Pam Cipriano, Chief Nursing Officer of UVAHS. Effective July 1, 2008, funding support for professional certifications, including nursing certifications, is offered through Medical Center Human Resources as part of the educational assistance benefits package for employees.

Applying for Certification Funding Support:
To apply for funding support, eligible employees will need to submit the Educational Assistance Request Form, following the procedures outlined in HR Policy 301. Please confirm that your certification appears on the list of Eligible Nursing CertificationsThis list is developed by analyzing practice area professional development plans, by soliciting input from practice area representatives, and by examining national trends; it is reviewed annually by the PNSO Professional Development Committee

Shared Certification Study Resources: 
The PNSO Professional Development Committee is building a nursing certification study-resource section in the Health Sciences Library, based on donations from nurses who have finished using their own certification materials. Please consider donating study materials!     

Nursing Certification Opportunities:
Learn more about nursing certification opportunities at the American Nurses Credentialing Center website.

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Please Help Improve Our Fund!

  gray bullet  Funding Applicants are encouraged to submit feedback by sending this anonymous and confidential Evaluation Form to the PNSO Support Office, box 800135 (or via email attachment to PNSO@virginia.edu). [revised in 2005]

  gray bullet  This Fund is supplemented through private donations
Make a tax-deductible contribution to the Fund. [revised in 2007]