Vivian Health Announces its 2024 Vivian Nurses Week Leadership Award to Support Nurses Facing Student Loan Debt

The leading healthcare talent marketplace will award $5,000 to a nurse who embodies compassion, leadership and a positive impact on their patients and colleagues

SAN FRANCISCO, April 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Given the many financial pressures facing America's nursing community, Vivian Health, the talent marketplace used by 1.8 million healthcare professionals, is stepping up to help alleviate student loan debt.

As part of National Nurses Week 2024, Vivian Health is launching its Vivian Nurses Week Leadership Award to recognize the exceptional contributions of nurses across the nation while addressing the financial strain of student loans. The contest aims to spotlight nurses who embody compassion, personal growth, leadership, and a positive impact on their patients and colleagues.

Vivian Health will award $5,000 to one nurse to help alleviate their student loan burden. To enter, nurses are invited to share their stories, highlighting instances of compassion, personal growth, leadership, and positive impacts on patients and colleagues. Stories should be between 200-300 words and can be submitted from April 1, 2024, to May 12, 2024. To be eligible, participants must be U.S. residents with a valid U.S. nursing license and be at least 18 years old. Full contest rules and submission details can be found at discover.vivian.com/nurses-week-2024.

According to its 2024 Healthcare Workforce Report, Vivian Health found that 59% of the healthcare workforce asked for salary increases, while 60% sought higher-paying roles to mitigate the effects of economic pressures. Perhaps most telling: 30% of healthcare professionals relocated to areas with a lower cost of living. Student loan debt only exacerbates the pressures of inflation and a higher cost of living, with the average nurse owing between $40,000-$54,000 upon graduation.

"Nurses already grapple with so many challenges related to their finances, alongside additional stressors like depression, burnout and workplace violence. Student loans shouldn't be another burden added to the weight they already bear," said Rachel Neill, former PICU nurse and clinical advisor at Vivian Health. "Vivian Health is steadfast in supporting nurses and advocating for what matters most to them, and we're committed to amplifying awareness of the challenges they face. While we can't pay off everyone's loans, we believe it is the industry's responsibility to support them, not only through advocacy but also by directly addressing the financial challenges they encounter."

As National Nurses Week approaches, Vivian Health calls on all employers to recognize the invaluable contributions of nurses with initiatives that uplift and empower them -- specifically as it relates to alleviating their financial burden.

"There is so much more that healthcare systems can do to support their nurses," added Neill. "Student loan repayment programs, low-cost education and advancement programs and child care programs or stipends come to mind as activations that can be truly impactful in offsetting costs for today's nursing community."

About Vivian Health
Vivian Health is transforming how the healthcare industry hires. As the leading jobs marketplace that serves healthcare professionals first, Vivian Health empowers a broad range of healthcare professionals to find jobs they love across many types of healthcare work, including staff roles, per-diem shifts, local contracts, and travel positions. Built on intelligent matching, transparent information, and the widest selection of job opportunities, over 1.8 million healthcare professionals turn to Vivian to find their perfect job. For employers, Vivian Health helps fill roles faster than traditional recruiting practices and at a fraction of the cost, saving them millions of dollars and helping alleviate labor shortages in healthcare.

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SOURCE Vivian Health