Marian Hardwick, a PhD student and second degree baccalaureate program graduate at the USF College of Nursing, was one of only three former Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) New Careers In Nursing (NCIN) scholars in the nation invited to participate in a student panel on “Career Advancement for the Accelerated Nursing Student” during the recent RWJF NCIN Annual Summit. She spoke at the 2011 summit Oct. 6 to 8 in Washington, DC.

Marian Hardwick

Hardwick was one of eight second degree baccalaureate students in the VA Nursing Academy, a partnership of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the USF College of Nursing aimed at boosting care for veterans and job opportunities for nurses awarded RWJF scholarships at the USF College of Nursing. USF first received funding for the NCIN program in 2008.

Hardwick works at a psychiatric unit at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital while pursuing her PhD at the USF College of Nursing.

NCIN annual meetings engage grantees from across the country to explore best practices and new approaches to strengthen their accelerated degree programs and increase the pipeline of students traditionally underrepresented in nursing, according to the NCIN Summit website.

– Story by Ashlea Hudak