Schenk Nursing Home Abuse Law opened its 2025 Fighting the Nursing Shortage Scholarship to nursing students who are intent on addressing the sudden employee fluctuations in the healthcare industry. This scholarship encourages nursing students to address the challenges in their field of choice while recommending steps to stabilize the field over time.
This year, the firm’s Atlanta nursing home abuse lawyers are proud to award the $2,000 scholarship to Justin Coffman. Coffman is currently pursuing his Master of Nursing degree at Emory University and has already critically assessed the obstacles that are making it difficult for healthcare facilities to retain their staff in the age of COVID-19 and beyond.
Schenk Nursing Home Abuse Law applauds Coffman’s recommendations for a healthier healthcare industry and hopes that the scholarship’s financial support will make it easier for him to continue pursuing his degree.
About Justin Coffman
Pursuing a Master’s in Nursing takes a considerable amount of time, but Coffman has cultivated an impressive array of extracurriculars. When he’s not studying, he serves as a member of Nursing Students for Sexual & Reproductive Health, the National Student Nurses’ Association, and the Graduate Nursing Student Academy.
He also volunteers as an Activities Counselor at Camp Sunshine, a Georgia-based nonprofit providing year-round programs for children with cancer and their families, and at a local animal shelter. He established this commitment to volunteer work early in his life, as he has an extensive history of serving with organizations such as the Trevor Project.
Coffman hopes that his education and extensive volunteer history will make it easier for him to make a career as a Registered Nurse specializing in pediatric oncology. He’s also interested in serving in a hospital’s procedural unit. He intends to pursue a career as a nurse practitioner and educator.
Taking a Three-Pronged Approach to the Nursing Shortage
When asked to answer the question of the modern nursing shortage, Coffman quickly and firmly assessed three weak points within the industry. He notes that stress/burnout, unit understaffing, and a lack of mental health resources are driving nurses to leave the healthcare industry in droves.
He specifically notes that today’s nursing students are already in the process of planning “their escape” from the industry. He cites modern studies detailing students’ concerns about the industry’s lack of emotional and financial resources. He notes that efforts to address these concerns may help turn the tide on the industry’s professional exodus.
It’s understaffing, Coffman notes, that causes the biggest concerns among his fellow students and working professionals. There are too many patients per nurse, he notes; a problem that could be and has been handled by nurse-to-patient ratios enacted on a state or federal level, as has been done in California.
Nursing Resources Go Back Into In-Need Communities
Coffman’s video notes that any attempt to address today’s nursing shortage must recognize nurses as people rather than resources. Improved access to mental health resources, increased pay, and increased staffing could alleviate some of the greatest stressors driving nurses to other fields, particularly in the wake of the high-stress circumstances brought about by COVID-19.
“Nurses are the heart of patient-centered care,” he notes in his passionate delivery. Giving resources to nurses ensures that the communities those nurses serve continue to receive high-quality care.
“Nurses are asking for what they need,” he says. If the healthcare industry wants to address its nursing shortage, it’s time to listen and serve the people who’ve dedicated their careers to serving others.
Taking Inspiration From Lost Friends
Coffman’s dedication to the betterment of his community and the nursing profession stems from a sincere love of others. When asked about a specific source of inspiration, though, he was quick to cite his friendship with a “fellow cancer survivor named Ben Garcia.”
In Coffman’s own words, Ben “quickly became one of my closest friends. I was drawn to Ben because he was the kind of person who lit up a room when he walked in. He was the least judgmental person I’ve ever known, seeing and bringing out the good in everyone around him.”
“Unfortunately, Ben’s cancer relapsed,” Coffman continues, “and he ultimately passed away on December 10th, 2016. Although Ben has moved on from this life, I carry his memory and his deep influence on me everywhere I go. He is my greatest inspiration, and I strive to be like Ben in all that I do.”
About the Fighting the Nursing Shortage Scholarship
Nursing students can apply for the Schenk Nursing Home Abuse Law Fighting the Nursing Shortage Scholarship again in 2026. Team members encourage interested applicants to visit the scholarship page to learn more about its updated qualifying criteria and application requirements.
The scholarship is currently only available to nursing students at accredited colleges and universities in the United States. Applicants must submit completed applications, including a two-minute video, by the scholarship deadline to be considered for the $2,000 award.
Students’ videos must address the following question: How can the healthcare industry encourage more students to go into nursing?
Schenk Nursing Home Abuse Law Is Proud to Support Justin Coffman
Coffman’s assessment of the challenges currently impacting the healthcare industry comes with solutions. His recommendations for improved benefits, increased mental health resources, and better staffing practices could help the industry overcome its nursing shortage.
At the same time, these recommendations promise to establish a healthier working environment for the next generation of healthcare professionals.
Schenk Nursing Home Abuse Law applauds Coffman’s critical assessment of the industry he will one day enter. The team hopes that its financial support will make it easier for Coffman to continue pursuing his Master of Nursing and to put his compassionate and considerate skill set to work.
