Scholarships Help Advance Careers for VCU Health Nursing Staff

Continuing education and lifelong learning are core values at an academic medical center like VCU Health, so helping team members continue to hone their nursing skills is essential. 

Thankfully, private philanthropy provides many scholarships each year that support VCU Health patient care technicians and certified nursing assistants pursuing nursing degrees.

“Professional development supports the best outcomes for our patients,” noted Ellen Derry, DNP, RN, VCU Medical Center’s interim chief nursing officer. “We’re so appreciative of our community that has shown tremendous generosity to our nursing team members by creating scholarships that support their pursuit of professional development.” 

In early May, a celebration was held during Week of the Nurse to provide an opportunity for nurses who received scholarships to connect with fellow professionals who are passionate about career development as well as the donors who made their scholarships possible. The scholarship recipients are at varying stages of their nursing careers, from patient care technicians working toward nursing degrees to registered nurses seeking advanced degrees.

This year, thanks to a generous philanthropic gift from Rayanne and Barry Welsch, the number of nurses at VCU Health receiving scholarships nearly doubled. Twenty-three team members were awarded support from eight privately funded scholarships to assist their pursuit of professional development opportunities. 

The Welsches established the Anne Benson Memorial Scholarship in memory of Rayanne’s mother, whose nursing career included caring for World War II soldiers who had been prisoners of war. She later worked at a Veterans Administration hospital for 33 years, choosing the night shift so she could be at home during the day to care for her four children. 

The newly established Benson Scholarship provides scholarships to VCU Health patient care technicians and certified nursing assistants (CNAs) pursuing nursing degrees. Destanee Canady, a CNA at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond (CHoR) at VCU, is part of the first cohort of recipients to benefit from the scholarship.

Growing up, Canady often spent days in the hospital with her little brother who is seven years her junior. Watching the nurses care for his febrile seizures had a lasting impact on her as she paid close attention both to the tasks they completed as well as the way they interacted with him. 

As a teenager, Canady started to put to use some of what she’d observed. When her father was undergoing at-home dialysis treatments, Canady would help her mother manage the various tasks by taking responsibility for charting her father’s hourly vitals – a memory she cherished after his passing.

These experiences with her brother and father fostered her interest in health care and ultimately led her to pursue a career as a registered nurse. And it was her recollection of the pediatric nurses’ care for her brother that drew her to her current role at VCU.

“I’ve been a CNA for five years now,” Canady said. “I’ve worked in the cardiac unit, saw my first death in the COVID unit and have even worked in geriatrics. But there’s something special about working with kids – they’re so appreciative.”

As a first-generation college student, Canady said the scholarship is helping meet financial needs like covering costs such as textbooks and uniforms. It also inspires her to look toward the future.

“Knowing there are people out there willing to help me throughout this journey motivates me to maintain my GPA and finish my degree this December,” Canady said. “Once I begin my career as a registered nurse, I look forward to being able to give back to the community.”

For more information about making a gift in support of scholarships that support professional development of VCU Health nurses, contact Nathan Bick, senior director of development in the Office of Medical Philanthropy and Alumni Relations at ngbick@vcu.edu or 804-827-0387.