WMH Foundation opens annual scholarship

Weiser Memorial Hospital Foundation will be accepting applications for its 2023 Healthcare Scholarship beginning Wednesday, March 15.

 Applications must be filled out and returned by Friday, April 14 at 5 p.m.

 The scholarship was launched in 2021 in an effort to assist students furthering their education in a healthcare related field.

 In the past, two exemplary high school or college students living or working in the Washington County area were awarded a one-time, $1,000 scholarship that can be used for anything from school fees to books.

 This year, the foundation is ramping up its effort, awarding a total of six, $1,000 scholarships. Last year, Midvale High School student Helan Hill and University of Idaho student Aline Cortez were selected as recipients.

 “We want to support our community and give back,” said Foundation Executive Director Kimberly Burgess. “This is a tangible way for us to invest in our future healthcare providers who are going into a medical related field. It’s a way to support our students and to say ‘Thank You’ to our community.”

 Burgess said it is as critical as ever to help students who intend to serve small communities.

 “There are shortages across the board in the healthcare sector,” she said. “We feel, specifically here in our rural area, that it can be really challenging at times to bring people into a rural healthcare setting, so when there are even greater shortages across the board, we really struggle.”

 Part of the application includes a section providing students the opportunity to describe their desire to return to a rural healthcare setting.

 “They have an opportunity to share their story about that, why they are drawn to rural healthcare,” Burgess said.

 Applicants are required to be formally accepted into a healthcare related program at any college, university, or institution for Medicine/Medical Science, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, or other related fields. To be eligible for a scholarship, the applicant must have at least a 3.0 or higher grade point average.

 Applicants must also,

 • Submit an essay describing his/her reasons for selecting a specific health career, career goals, and any other information the student would like to considered as a part of the application. The essay must not exceed 500 words, be typed double spaced in 12-point font, with one-inch margins.

 • Provide most recent official, signed copy of school transcripts.

 • Include two current written recommendations.

 • Include two current written recommendations from the applicant’s instructors, employers, community leaders and/or other significant adults who are unrelated to the applicant and in a position to comment on his/her abilities, character, personality and commitment to education and healthcare. 

 The letters must include the name, occupation, phone number and signature of the person writing the reference letter. Letters should be submitted with the application in a sealed envelope.

 • Preference is given to applicants who plan to return to rural healthcare after they have graduated from their program. 

 The complete application, response to questions, letters of recommendation, school transcript, and essay must be received in a hard-copy packet by 5 p.m. on Friday, April 14, 2023.