School of Nursing launches first cohort of Prisma Health Nursing Scholars

The Clemson University School of Nursing received a $1.3 million gift from Prisma Health to establish unique scholarships for nursing students. Recipients are selected each fall to form a cohort known as Prisma Health Nursing Scholars. The first cohort of 15 students was awarded in Fall 2023.

To qualify for the scholarship, students must be in the first semester of their junior year with a minimum GPA of 3.0 and enrolled in the Foundations of Nursing class. Selections also consider financial need.

Prisma Health Nursing Scholars receive shadowing opportunities that enhance their clinical experiences and allow them to learn how the Prisma Health system operates. In addition to shadowing, students can participate in Prisma Health meetings and networking events and spend a day with the chief nursing officer (CNO) and chief executive officer (CEO).

According to John Whitcomb, director and chief academic nursing officer of the School of Nursing, this is one way the School is modeling Clemson Elevate’s strategic priority to transform lives – by enhancing nursing education to improve health outcomes for South Carolinians and beyond.

“This unique, interdisciplinary opportunity offers students invaluable insight into the field of nursing,” said Whitcomb. “We have incorporated interdisciplinary teams into our simulation courses, but the Prisma Health Nursing Scholars program takes it to the next level. We cannot work in silos. We are a team, and this method incorporates all aspects of health care to deliver better educational outcomes for students and health outcomes for patients.”

Not only are students receiving a behind-the-scenes look at the health care system, but as Prisma Health Nursing Scholars, they are also responsible for completing a community project.

“This concept came about during the pandemic, and after, when there was a big exodus of nurses. We asked ourselves how we could engage with students differently,” said Veronica Deas, executive director of academic development at Prisma Health. “Our engagement is most often through clinical rotations, the extern program and the ready-to-work program, but we wanted something different. We wanted students to gain more in-depth knowledge of what it is like to be a part of a health system.”

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The School of Nursing is a part of the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences. Established in July 2016, CBSHS is a 21st-century, land-grant college that combines work in nine disciplines – communication; nursing; parks, recreation and tourism management; political science; psychology; public health sciences; sociology, anthropology and criminal justice – to further its mission of “building people and communities” in South Carolina and beyond.

Prisma Health is a private nonprofit health company and the largest health care organization in South Carolina. The company has 29,309 team members, 18 acute and specialty hospitals, 2,827 licensed beds, 305 practice sites, and more than 5,400 employed and independent clinicians across its clinically integrated inVio Health Network. Along with this innovative network, Prisma Health serves almost 1.5 million unique patients annually in its 21-county market area that covers 50% of South Carolina. Connect with Prisma Health on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and  Twitter/X. Visit www.PrismaHealth.org.