The midway point is fast approaching for summer vacation and college students are making plans for the upcoming fall semester. Most of them have their financial plans already in place. For some college-bound residents of the North Country Hospital service area this includes a health system scholarship.
For 21 years, the Board of Trustees of North Country Hospital has appropriated funds for Health Care Career Scholarships. The goal of the program is to encourage the pursuit of careers in the health care field with the hope that recipients might choose to return to this area upon completion of their education. Approximately 30 students have returned to work here, with several of them continuing their education into graduate school.
“The goal of the Trustees who began this program 21 years ago was to develop a local workforce in healthcare, by helping local people to further their education in patient care fields. Thanks to the support of sponsors, trustees, volunteers, and golfers, we are certainly accomplishing that goal,” said Nancy Goss, Director of Community Relations, who administers the scholarships and has worked on 18 annual golf tournaments.
The annual North Country Hospital Golf Scramble is played at the end of the summer with area businesses and individuals donating money in return for a fun day of golf, dinner, and camaraderie. The profit from this tournament becomes part of the scholarship fund providing deserving students with help to further their health care education. This year’s golf Scramble will be held on Sunday, August 30th at the Newport Country Club. Registration forms are available at area pro shops.
The Scholarship Committee, consisting of clinical people, past and present board members, and community members, review the more than 50 applications. They try to look at a balance between potential for academic success in their chosen field, financial need, and motivation. In addition, students must live within the hospital’s service area and be pursuing a career in involving patient care either as a graduating high school senior, as a returning student already in the healthcare field, or continuing in a health care program. These scholarships are renewable for the four years of college as long as the recipient meets certain requirements.
In addition to the Health Care Career Scholarship, students residing in the North Country Hospital service area pursuing a career in an accredited registered nursing (RN) program may apply for the Caryl B. Custer Scholarship for Nursing. This scholarship was established in 2007 in honor of Caryl Custer, who made her summer home in Newport with her husband Dr. Keith Custer for 40 years before her death. Dr. Custer established the nursing scholarship in Caryl’s honor for her work as a nurse manager in the Florida health care system and her dedication to helping nursing students along the way. Friends and family have been contributing to the fund since then, and each May the hospital’s scholarship committee awards several $500 awards to students fitting criteria similar to the Health Care Career Scholarship. These scholarships continue for the full program as long as the recipient meets certain requirements.
Dr. Custer commented after the fund was established, “I know Caryl would be pleased that this fund is helping nursing students reach their goals.”
“After meeting Dr. Custer, I was so honored that he chose North Country Hospital as the governing hospital of the fund,” said Wendy Franklin, Director of Development for the hospital. “It made me feel proud of the service we provide to our patients here.”
Those students pursuing an education in patient health care services should contact Nancy Goss at 334-3225 for further information about available scholarships or to register in the golf tournament..