Independence Blue Cross Foundation launches scholarship program for post-9/11 veterans to pursue a career in nursing

The Independence Blue Cross Foundation has pledged $350,000 to give more than 50 Philly-area military veterans scholarships to attend local nursing schools for free beginning fall 2024.

Foundation executives announced the program on Wednesday in the lobby of Blue Cross’ Market Street offices in Center City.

The new program’s goal is to strengthen the nursing workforce, while also giving veterans a pathway to a job that may appeal to their service-oriented mindset, said Stephen Fera, executive vice president of public affairs and government markets at Blue Cross.

“Like nurses, military veteran are mission oriented,” Fera said.

The foundation will work with area schools that participate in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Yellow Ribbon program. Through the program, schools commit to providing tuition assistance to veterans who served in active duty since 9/11. In return, the federal government matches the school’s level of assistance.

The combined funding doesn’t always cover the full tuition, and Blue Cross says it will cover the difference for all their scholars. The exact amount that each veteran will receive depends on their school’s tuition and the assistance received through Yellow Ribbon.

Schools participating will also commit to giving veterans credits toward their degree for class completed at other institutions, or practical experience earned in the military. This will enable veterans to complete the program faster.

» READ MORE: 35 Philly-area high school students from underrepresented backgrounds get full-ride to nursing school

The U.S. has nearly 5 million veterans whose service took place since 9/11, and nearly 80% of them are men. Fewer than 10% worked in the health or education sectors in 2022, according to the Bureau for Labor Statistics. Meanwhile, hospitals are reporting a shortage of nurses, and men account for less than 10% of the registered nurse workforce, according to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.

Karen Flaherty-Oxler is a retired admiral and the director of the Cpl. Michael J. Crescenz VA hospital in Philadelphia. A nurse herself, Flaherty-Oxler said veterans are the type of professional that she would want caring for her.

“I want a large posse of people who are capable and competent,” she said.