Nursing Student Awarded for Work With Impoverished Communities
Jennifer Duvall has no time to watch television shows like ER or Chicago Hope. She's too busy living the real thing.
"My life is so busy and overwhelming," Duvall said. "But it's also exciting because I know I have so much to learn."
Duvall is studying to be a nurse practitioner, similar to the characters on television. As a recipient of the 2000 National Health Service Corps Scholarship Award, Duvall is working toward her master's of science in nursing at the University of San Francisco.
The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) provides primary health care to underserved and vulnerable populations. Last year, approximately 1,800 individuals applied for the NHSC scholarship and just 240 received awards.
John Lantz, dean of the School of Nursing, acknowledged the competitiveness of the award. "I think number one, it's a recognition of the program and the student," he said. "It's a very highly competitive award that's both reflective of the student and the (student's) school."
The award includes monthly stipends and a full scholarship for Duvall to complete her MSN in exchange for two years of service in an area where the government designates there is a shortage of health care professionals.
"The scholarship is great. It's really neat financial support but it's also really what I want to do," Duvall said.
Duvall is earning her MSN at USF through the Master's Entry Option program. The program allows students to obtain a Registered Nurse degree through an accelerated year and a half course, and then continue with graduate classes to obtain an MSN.
After completing the program, Duvall will fulfill the award's service requirement by working in a clinic in an underprivileged area in Madison, Wisc. Lantz said the award is aligned with USF's mission of service because it commits recipients to live and work in underprivileged medical communities.
"I think more people need to hear about [the NHSC Scholarship Program], especially those doing their master's at USF," he said. "It's a great way to get them through school, and it's like doing the Peace Corps in the U.S."
Duvall would also know about the Peace Corps. She spent two years in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa, working in a health clinic with the Peace Corps. While there, she helped develop programs to address the local community's health concerns, such as nutrition and pre-natal care. She also conducted weekly workshops to train health care workers in the village.
While working in West Africa, Duvall also earned her master's in public health. She was part of a Peace Corps program in partnership with George Washington University that allows Peace Corps volunteers to earn their master's while serving a marginalized community. Her experience in West Africa inspired Duvall's thesis, "Nutritional Education in Guinea-Bissau: A Training for Village Health Care Workers."
Duvall said her experience in the Peace Corps helped her earn the NHSC award because it showed that she was dedicated to serving underserved medical communities and could commit to a government residency program of at least two years.
In the meantime, Duvall is enjoying life as a student and completing her residency hours by working as a nurse at a Marin County clinic.
"I like working [at the clinic] a lot," Duvall said. "It's a community clinic and I work with the underserved, which is what I want to do."
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