ARCS Oregon has proudly supported the OHSU School of Nursing (SON) PhD program since our beginning in 2005. In 2013, we renewed our focus on supporting a scholar in the SON. That year, Quin Denfeld, now an Associate Professor at OHSU SON with a secondary appointment in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, was selected as an ARCS scholar. 

PhD candidates at the SON benefit from ongoing support through the Giesy Family Endowment, established in 2018, as well as various named scholar awards that have supported nine PhD candidates since 2013. Notably, three of these ARCS scholars have gone on to join the faculty at OHSU SON. Our connection with the SON is strengthened through faculty liaisons and Professor and Dean Susan Bakewell-Sachs, who is also an ARCS Oregon member. The SON is currently ranked #3 among the 100 Best Nursing Schools in the West for 2024.  

Kristin Cloyes, PhD, MN, RN, and the PhD program director at OHSU SON, emphasizes the importance of PhD-prepared nurses in healthcare: “The support our students have received from ARCS donors is both life-changing and field-changing. PhD-prepared nurses represent a critical yet often overlooked path in healthcare advancement. While nurses form the backbone of our healthcare system, only a small fraction pursue a research-focused doctorate to become nurse scientists and educators. However, these nursing PhDs are vital to our field. They are uniquely positioned to conduct and lead research that directly informs and improves health care, from the bedside to shaping national health policy. PhD-prepared nurses ensure that our profession—and health care systems remain firmly rooted in scientific inquiry and evidence-based practice. Our SON ARCS donors are not just investing in individual careers; they’re fueling the engine of scientific advancement that drives the entire nursing profession forward, leading to better patient outcomes and a stronger healthcare system for all.” 

Darcey Ayala, a third-year ARCS scholar and Nurse Manager at OHSU, shares her gratitude for the ARCS program: “The support ARCS sponsors give me and other scholars is critical to helping us complete a doctorate in nursing. The ARCS program offers students financial support to focus on our studies by helping pay for tuition and other expenses necessary to complete their PhD. Additionally, ARCS sponsors actively support my research interests and desire to complete my PhD. I believe a PhD will give me the skills to advance nursing knowledge, theory, and science to improve people’s healthcare outcomes and elevate our profession. I look forward to the day I graduate to do independent research, teach future generations of nurses, and support future ARCS scholars. I am grateful for all the support ARCS gives me. Thank you so much.” 

In 2022, the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, announced a projected shortage of 78,610 full-time RNs by 2025. Oregon is ranked #4 in the nation, facing a 16% shortage among the top ten states with the largest projected nursing shortage by 2035. This urgent need for registered nurses at the patient bedside, especially as the baby boomer population ages, presents a significant crisis. The U.S. also faces a mounting nursing faculty shortage, with an estimated 9% vacancy rate. The majority of these positions require a PhD or Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing in 2023. 

This compelling information underscores the importance of encouraging ARCS Oregon members and supporters to continue funding PhD candidates in the OHSU SON PhD program.