The Dr. Wayne & Eileen A. Ryan Foundation makes transformational gift to Children’s to expand the Student-to-Nurse Pediatric Sponsorship Program
Pediatric nurses at Children’s Nebraska improve the lives of children and families every day, providing excellent outcomes and experiences for those facing health challenges. A $2 million pledge over the next five years by the Dr. Wayne & Eileen A. Ryan Foundation will double the amount of pediatric nursing scholarship recipients enrolled in and practicing at Children’s through the Student-to-Nurse Pediatric Sponsorship program (S2RN). S2RN students serve as pediatric certified nursing assistants at Children’s during their senior year, and upon matriculation and successful completion of nursing coursework, join Children’s pediatric nursing team.
Thanks to the Ryan Foundation’s philanthropic gift, Children’s highly-selective S2RN program will expand, doubling enrollment from 10 to 20 students in the 2022-2023 academic year.
This transformational gift by the Ryan Foundation helps to build the local talent pipeline, helping combat the nationwide nursing shortage and improve the future of pediatric nursing care for children and families. “With the Student-to-Nurse Pediatric Sponsorship program, we train students with real-life experience, provide sponsorship funding for their education and retain them for two years after they graduate,” says Children’s President & CEO Chanda Chacón, MPH, FACHE. “We are building the next generation of nurses through this program. Our amazing people are what make Children’s the very best for children and families, and this gift is an important investment in our people.”
Judy Timmons, Children’s director of Clinical Nursing Education, shares, “This program enables us to recruit high-caliber nursing students who have a passion for working with children. They quickly become engaged in our culture and our mission, practicing skills and learning how important interdisciplinary collaboration is among health care teams. When students graduate, they have a wider skillset as they enter the nursing field. Their Children’s teammates trust them and know that they are committed to Children’s, which makes us stronger overall.”
Children’s Chief Nursing Officer Kathy English shares, “We are incredibly grateful the Ryan Foundation sees value in supporting innovative educational programs like the S2RN program that advance the future of health care for the region’s children and families. Thanks to the philanthropic support of the Ryan Foundation, the future of pediatric nursing at Children’s and in our region is incredibly bright.”
