| The United States suffers a critical shortage of | | | | prepares them to serve as exceptional caregivers, |
| physicians and nurses. Especially in depressed inner | | | | and the diamond lanes to the degrees remain wide |
| cities and remote rural areas, people have little or no | | | | open. Online nursing programs especially award |
| access to quality healthcare, because the country | | | | transfer credit up to ninety units for well-documented |
| does not have professionals to serve them. In the next | | | | "life experiences relevant to students' degree |
| decade, the nation will need a million new nurses and | | | | expectations." If a student demonstrates minimal |
| almost as many doctors. With the passage of health | | | | competence in reading, writing, and mathematics, many |
| care reform legislation, the nation urgently will need | | | | online degree programs will allow them to test out of |
| primary care physicians and Certified Nurse | | | | or petition out of other general education requirements |
| Practitioners. Therefore, as Congress and the | | | | for the sake of quick advancement into their |
| President approved the Economic Recovery Act of | | | | pre-professional programs. |
| 2009, they built-in provisions for literally billions of dollars | | | | Single mothers typically can expect financial aid |
| in grants and scholarships for students entering the | | | | awards to the full extent of their needs. Pell Grants |
| allied health professions. | | | | alone will cover approximately 30% of a student's |
| Naturally, first priority for a grant or scholarship goes to | | | | annual expenses. Grants from the Health Careers |
| students in pre-med majors or on track to bachelors | | | | Opportunity Program and other special pre-health |
| degrees in nursing, but students in RN, pharmacy, and | | | | initiatives pay for textbooks and materials; they also |
| surgical technician programs also qualify. These grants | | | | pay for some housing and everyday living expenses. |
| do not replace Pell Grants or federally guaranteed | | | | And the best online schools and four-year institutions |
| Perkins loans; instead, they supplement those awards, | | | | assist students in their searches and applications for |
| basing qualification on satisfactory progress through | | | | "merit-based" scholarships to meet 100% of students' |
| higher education and students' financial needs. Naturally, | | | | financial needs. |
| the grantors award some special consideration to | | | | With proper financial support and appropriate |
| students whose families have histories of economic | | | | motivation, a single mother can earn her RN in |
| and educational disadvantage. The criteria, however, | | | | approximately two years. Moreover, in 2009, |
| are strictly numerical-grade point averages, test | | | | Registered Nurses commanded average starting |
| scores, and family incomes. | | | | salaries over $55,000, and most received "sign-on |
| Single mothers naturally gravitate to allied health | | | | bonuses" in excess of $2500(US). |
| professions, because their experience as mothers | | | | |