Rutgers-Camden Offers Nursing Degrees To Veterans

Rutgers University-Camden has launched a new program to train military veterans for civilian careers as nurses who will care specifically for other veterans, the college announced this week. The program will be funded by a three-year, $1.5 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The college said veterans understanding veterans and preparing veterans for a career as a civilian is the idea behind the new program, called Veteran Nurses in Primary Care. Veterans will receive education and guidance mentors and advisors in the School of Nursing and the college’s Office of Veterans Affairs.

The program will also focus on teaching community-based primary-care registered nurses and other clinicians, nursing faculty, and clinical instructors to help meet the needs of veterans.

“I recognized a need for health-care services for veterans that would help bridge the relationship between them and the health-care provider,” said Kevin Emmons, a Rutgers School of Nursing–Camden clinical associate professor and a U.S. Army veteran who currently serves as a member of the Army Reserve. “One of the best ways to do that is by having the health-care provider, and in this case the nurse, be a veteran themselves. This can instantly build a bond between the veteran client and nurse.”

Rutgers School of Nursing–Camden students usually perform their clinical rotations in the community and hospital settings. However, through the Veteran Nurses in Primary Care program, students will spend some of their clinical time specifically working with veterans through the university’s partnerships with area organizations, according to the college.

Students will learn while working at the Camden County Department of Health and Human Services, Cooper University Hospital, the VA Medical Center in Philadelphia, and Volunteers of America’s Home of the Brave program, college officials said.

“Ultimately, our goal is for them to go back into the community and work with veterans after graduation,” said Emmons, the new program’s director.

“I know what it’s like to be separated from family and friends on the holidays, what it is like to come back to school and try to integrate,” said Rutgers School of Nursing–Camden Dean Donna Nickitas, a U.S. Air Force veteran. “I went right out of active duty in the Air Force to a full-time master’s program in nursing. I know what it’s like to be in active-duty service and then be a civilian again.”

The college is now accepting applications for the first cohort of eight students, who will begin taking classes in the fall. Students who are interested in applying to the program should contact Emmons at kremmons@camden.rutgers.edu.

In 2020, the number of students accepted into the program will increase to 12, and 18 will be accepted in 2021. This accounts for 38 total students in three years, according to the college.

Rutgers University–Camden is the only higher education institution in New Jersey to earn the distinction of being named a Purple Heart University by the Military Order of the Purple Heart. The honor recognizes the university for its services to veterans and their families.