Queen Silvia’s nursing scholarship available in America

The Queen Silvia Nursing Award is now accepting applications from American nurses and nursing students through the University of Washington in Seattle, USA. The University of Washington School of Nursing (UW SON) is the Main Country Partner to establish the award in America for its nursing school alumni as well as current nursing student population. Applicants will submit ideas and solutions for COVID-19 care in healthcare environments, receiving extra merit for proposals that benefit the quality of care for older people and people living with dementia.

America is the sixth country to establish the Queen Silvia Nursing Award. The awardis also available for all nursing students and nurses in Sweden, Finland, Poland, Germany and Lithuania. The winner in each country receives a Euro 6000 scholarship and tailor-made mentoring opportunities with partners associated with the program.

Diplomas for the scholarship winners are traditionally presented by Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden at the Queen Silvia Nursing Award Grand Ceremony at the Royal Palace in Stockholm every spring.

Petra Tegman, a dementia and palliative care nurse who is CEO of Swedish Care International, a founding partner of the Queen Silvia Nursing Award says, “This year has been extremely challenging for many of us who work in healthcare. For nurses especially, the impact has been substantial. It is poignant that in this 2020 Year of the Nurse and Midwife, the contributions of nurses worldwide is being recognized widely as we continue to address COVID-19.”

“The central mission behind the Queen Silvia Nursing Award has always been to elevate nursing talent and the need for skilled geriatric nursing in all societies. We are honored to have the University of Washington School of Nursing to bring this discussion alive in America. It is clearer now more than ever that skilled nursing talent is in huge demand, particularly in light of coronavirus’ effect on older populations and people living with cognitive decline.”

University of Washington History

The University of Washington was founded in 1861 and is one of the oldest universities in the state of Washington. It is the flagship post-secondary institute in Washington.

The University of Washington’s Department of Nursing was established in 1921 by Elizabeth Sterling Soule – a nurse who had earlier organized the Washington State Public Health Nursing Association and who held the role as the first state supervisor of nurses for the Washington Tuberculosis Association and the Red Cross. The University of Washington began offering a bachelor of science in nursing degree in 1923.

Since 1945 the UW SON has been an independent school within the UW health sciences department. It has remained a top-ranked nursing school in America and consistently ranks in the top three recipients for nursing research grants.

Says UW SON Executive Dean Azita Emami, “We are proud to have been selected as the academic partner for the inaugural Queen Silvia Nursing Award in the U.S. This reaffirms the close ties between the nursing school, the university, the Seattle community, and Sweden. It also recognizes the School of Nursing’s leadership in dementia care research and COVID-19 response.”

Support of Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden

The Queen Silvia Nursing Award was established in 2013 as a gift to Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden on her birthday. Scholars continue to be announced annually on Her Majesty’s birthday on the 23^rd of December.

Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden has a long-standing association with, and support of, dementia and elderly care since the 1990s when her late mother was diagnosed with dementia. Her Majesty has lent her name and support to a number of Swedish initiatives including her foundation Stiftelsen Silviahemmet which provides dementia care training and certification programs; Dementia Forum X – a biennial global summit on dementia taking place in Royal Palace of Stockholm; as well as SilviaBo – an innovative housing project which provides safe and affordable homes for couples where one person has a cognitive impairment. In recognition of Her Majesty’s dedication to the elderly and dementia care sphere, The Queen was named an Honorary Ambassador of Alzheimer’s Disease International in December 2018.

About the Queen Silvia Nursing Award

The Queen Silvia Nursing Award addresses one of the greatest challenges of our shared global future – population ageing and the need for quality elderly and dementia nursing. The scholarship motivates nursing talent to become innovators for healthcare development while building and promoting competence in professional nursing. By offering this unprecedented scholarship and learning opportunities for nurses, new realms of possibilities become available for future generations of nurses. By lifting nursing talent and their ideas, the project aims to increase the status of nursing as a profession.

The Queen Silvia Nursing Award is made possible by Swedish Care International, Forum For Elderly Care and Main Country Partners Konstsamfundet and Attendo of Finland, Medicover Foundation of Poland, St. Anna-Stift Kroge of Germany, Addere Care of Lithuania and through the University of Washington in the United States of America.