Scholarship Spotlight - Tom C. Bush
East Carolina University, Greenville, NC
North Carolina Foundation for Nursing Inc.
“Education is the most powerful weapon that you can use to change the world,” Nelson Mandela said. Education plays a key role in nurses’ ability to transform the nation’s health care as well. Through the American Nurses Foundation’s new scholarships, created from proceeds from the book “The American Nurse: Photographs and Interviews” and the documentary “The American Nurse: Healing America,” both by Carolyn Jones, students who are committed to changing the world of health care are receiving financial aid.
In 2014, the Foundation, in conjunction with five state nursing associations, awarded nine scholarships. Tom C. Bush, a student in the doctorate of nursing program (DNP) at East Carolina University, was one of the first recipients.
Tom’s road to nursing began with his strong interest in the biological and social sciences and how humans respond to illness. “No other discipline offers the rewards and challenges available in the nursing profession,” he says.
The scholarship Tom received from the North Carolina Nurses Association/North Carolina Foundation for Nursing Inc. and the American Nurses Foundation will help alleviate the financial burden of tuition and allow him to focus on making a difference in the field of nursing. “I have long been active in my state nurses association and am committed to unrestricted access to APRN [advanced practice registered nurse] practice through regulatory autonomy of state boards,” he states. “As a DNP graduate, I will apply additional expertise in analytical methodologies, population health, quality assurance and leadership to drive policy for the full deployment of APRNs to help meet our nation’s health care needs.”
Tom’s passion is orthopedic nursing. He wants to arm nurses with knowledge of associated conditions and treatments so they are equipped to deliver the best care as the population ages and the need for musculoskeletal care increases. “Nurses are experts in health care delivery. As our discipline matures and more nurses assume leadership positions, our emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention will be instilled in the care delivery system,” he says. “I believe leadership at the intersection of nursing and medicine will help diffuse nursing innovation into health service organizations.”
Tom’s passion is orthopedic nursing. He wants to arm nurses with knowledge of associated conditions and treatments so they are equipped to deliver the best care as the population ages and the need for musculoskeletal care increases. “Nurses are experts in health care delivery. As our discipline matures and more nurses assume leadership positions, our emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention will be instilled in the care delivery system,” he says. “I believe leadership at the intersection of nursing and medicine will help diffuse nursing innovation into health service organizations.”
