CONTRIBUTED BY EAH
OPELIKA —
To help the next generation of healthcare leaders begin their education, East Alabama Health (EAH) is offering scholarship loans to students seeking degrees in healthcare related fields.
The scholarship loan program pays for students’ educational expenses in exchange for them agreeing to work at EAH for a minimum time frame following completion of their degree.
“We want to look locally when it comes to finding the next generation of healthcare leaders,” said Susan Johnston, East Alabama Health’s vice president of Human Resources. “The program not only allows students interested in healthcare to attend school without the financial burdens associated with paying for their degree, but also helps EAH to ensure that our growing community continues to have well-trained, competent healthcare professionals.”
Healthcare related degree programs which EAH predicts a need for are eligible for the scholarship loan program. Some examples of eligible programs are nursing, medical laboratory sciences, emergency medical services, medical coding, surgical technology (also called scrub techs) and rehabilitative therapy.
Recipients agree to accept full-time employment for a period as outlined in their scholarship agreement. The exact amount of time is determined by the amount of the loan the student receives.
“East Alabama Medical Center (EAMC) has paid for both my ADN and BSN degrees through the scholarship loan program, allowing me to come out of school without any college debt and with a guaranteed job,” said Blake Buice, director of Medical Surgical Services at East Alabama Medical Center. “This is not something that every employer provides, but it is the standard here at EAMC.”
In addition to the scholarship loan program, East Alabama Health also offers three named scholarships for students, and current EAH employees are eligible for tuition reimbursement up to $10,000 per fiscal year.
Two nursing scholarships that are available were established in memory of nurses (Connie Young and Sharon Gess) who died prematurely while still employed. Another named scholarship available is in honor of Dr. Paul Waddy, a former member of EAMC’s Board of Directors. There are specific criteria related to these three scholarships.
“One of our biggest goals is finding ways to continuously invest in our community and our employees,” Johnston said. “We take pride in the various scholarship programs that we have available, and we encourage anyone eligible to consider applying.”
Scholarship loan program applications for the fall 2023 semester are due Friday, May 5 no later than 3 p.m. central time.
Details on the various scholarships available can be found here. For more information, contact Jennifer Krug, EAH workforce development coach and grants administrator, at 334-528-3036 or jennifer.krug@eamc.org.
ABOUT EAST ALABAMA HEALTH
East Alabama Health encompasses East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika, EAMC-Lanier in Valley, the Spencer Cancer Center in Opelika, the Auburn Medical Pavilion and a host of other key medical clinic and practices that help provide a continuum of care to patients throughout an 11-county area. EAMC is a 314-bed regional referral hospital with a 26-bed Skilled Nursing Facility, while EAMC-Lanier provides inpatient services as well as a nursing home, an acute rehab unit, senior behavioral health and an ambulatory surgery center. East Alabama Health employs about 3,500 employees and is the second largest employer in the region, trailing only Auburn University. For more information, visit www.eastalabamahealth.org.