Healthcare Scholarships

Benefis Foundation’s first named scholarship endowment was created in 1998 to assist LPNs and other care providers in becoming registered nurses or to support RNs to pursue an advanced nursing degree.

John Skees established this scholarship in memory of his wife, Darlene, in gratitude to those who cared for her.

This scholarship is for Montana State University students pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing or BSNs pursing graduate degrees.

Created in 1983 to honor a registered nurse who served nearly 35 years at Montana Deaconess Medical Center, the Doris Smith Scholarship honors Doris’ devotion and interest in the future of nursing.

Deaconess Hospital opened in 1898 thanks to Reverend William Wesley Van Orsdel. An endowment to provide nursing scholarships was created in the late 1980s in memory of this hospital co-founder.

The Doris Smith Scholarship and the Van Orsdel Scholarship were later combined to create one nursing scholarship endowment.

The Jane M. Buckman Husted Memorial Nursing Scholarship was established in 1999 by Paul and Lori Husted to benefit students pursuing RN degrees. Eligible students must be an ADN or RN pursuing a BSN.

Paul served as a founding director of Benefis Health System Foundation. The scholarship is named in honor of Paul's mother, Jane M. Buckman Husted, who was a registered nurse for more than 35 years and served a tour of duty with the Army Nursing Corps in Tokyo.

Dr. Bill and Lynn Bloemendaal created this endowment in 2002 to provide funds for Benefis Foundation Healthcare Scholarship Program. The scholarship is for students who want to obtain or earn an advanced healthcare education or certification.

Dr. Bloemendaal was a longtime orthopedic surgeon and founding director of the Benefis Health System Foundation Board of Directors. Dr. Bloemendaal passed away in 2020.

Kathy Rice created this endowment in 2003 to support Benefis Foundation Healthcare Scholarship Program. The scholarship is for students who want to obtain or earn an advanced healthcare education or certification.

Kathy served as a founding director of the Benefis Health System Foundation Board of Directors.

This endowment was established in 2003 by Fran and the late Jim Wylder. The scholarship is for students who want to obtain or earn an advanced healthcare education or certification.

Fran is a founding director of the Benefis Health System Foundation Board of Directors.

Neil and Evie Ugrin established this endowment in 2003 in memory of Neil's parents, Ed and Ethel. The scholarship is for students who want to obtain or earn an advanced healthcare education or certification.

Evie served as a founding director of the Benefis Health System Foundation Board of Directors and her late husband Neil served as legal counsel for Benefis Health System from the time of the merger of Montana Deaconess Medical Center and Columbus Hospital in 1996 until he passed away in 2007.

This scholarship endowment was established through Margaret Wynn’s living trust and funded after she passed away in 2005. This scholarship assists LPNs, EMTs, or CNAs in obtaining an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in nursing. It also provides the opportunity for RNs to obtain a bachelor’s degree and the opportunity for RNs with a bachelor’s to pursue a specialty training certification or a post-graduate degree.

Margaret Wynn worked as a nurse in Great Falls for many years and desired to help nurses employed at Benefis to advance their education.

October 1 is the application deadline for this Physical Therapist Assistant Scholarship.

This scholarship assists students in the Physical Therapist Assistant program at Great Falls College - Montana State University. To be eligible for this scholarship, students must be enrolled in the program and have a 3.0 GPA or above.

Selections will be made through Benefis Foundation’s Healthcare Scholarship Selection Committee. The amount and number of scholarships awarded is subject to change each year.

Paula Jackson established a scholarship endowment fund in 2007 to honor her late husband, Dr. Terry Jackson, who specialized in pain management, physical medicine, and rehabilitation, and served as Director of Rehabilitation at Columbus Hospital.

Following the tragic Mercy Flight crash in February 2007, two scholarship funds were created in memory of Darcy Dengel and Paul Erickson, two crew members who died in service that day.

The Darcy Dengel Nursing Scholarship was established to assist students in Montana pursuing a BSN or master's degree in nursing.

The Paul Erickson Paramedic Scholarship was established to assist students attending a paramedic program in Montana.

Both of the Mercy Flight Memorial Scholarships are for books and tuition only. The amount and number of scholarships awarded is subject to change.

The Julie Hickethier Nursing Scholarship Endowment, created in 2011, gives preference to students from Great Falls Central or students pursing degrees at Carroll College, but is not limited to those specifications. The scholarship benefits students pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree or BSN's pursing graduate degrees.

Julie Hickethier graduated from the Carroll College Nursing Program and served the next 19 years in the Emergency Department before moving into administration at Benefis, where she worked until 2014.

The Cecil and Dorothy Goodbrand Nursing Scholarship was established by the late Cecil and Dorothy Goodbrand, who named Benefis Foundation as the beneficiary of their substantial estate. The scholarship is available for students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in nursing or registered nurses pursuing a graduate degree.

The Deborah A. Wilson Memorial Nursing Scholarship was established to honor Deb Wilson’s passion for caring for cancer patients and their families. This scholarship is available for registered nurses pursuing a master’s or doctorate degree, with a preferred emphasis in oncology. Physician Assistants who want to advance in oncology as a specialty may also apply.

The Benefis Family Scholarship was created in 2012 to benefit Benefis employees and their children and to honor those within our Benefis family who have passed away. The scholarship is for students obtaining or advancing their education in a healthcare-related field, covering everything from nursing to information technology.

The goal of this scholarship is to improve recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals to better serve our patients. It also gives Benefis employees and others in our community an opportunity to honor their lost loved ones.

The Bonnie Gardner Nursing Scholarship, created in 2014, is for students pursuing a Bachelor of Science in nursing degree or for BSNs pursing graduate degrees.

This scholarship was established by the late Bonnie Gardner, who worked as a nurse for many years and named Benefis Health System Foundation as the beneficiary of her estate.

Rich and Donna Dengel of Lewistown established this named endowment scholarship in memory of their daughter to help students who share Darcy’s childhood dream of one day becoming a nurse and her passion for helping people. 

This scholarship benefits students pursuing a BSN or master’s degree in nursing.

Darcy's Place

Darcy Dengel's family also created a foundation in her memory called Darcy's Place. The foundation provides a nursing scholarship to assist students pursuing a BSN or master's degree. To find out more or to apply for the scholarship, please visit www.darcysplace.org.

The David and Tanya Cameron Medical Education Endowment Scholarship is designed to assist medical school students with tuition and Benefis Health System’s physician recruitment and retention efforts. The Camerons recognize the urgent and growing need for physicians to serve the people of north central Montana and wish to encourage medical students to choose to come to Benefis Health System for training and later, employment. The scholarship is supported by an endowment created through the generosity of David and Tanya Cameron.

GOALS

• To improve recruitment and retention of physicians to better serve our patients and their families.
• To provide access to financial assistance to medical school students.

SCHOLARSHIP OVERVIEW

David and Tanya Cameron have created a remarkable legacy of generosity in Montana and beyond. Throughout their careers, the Camerons have combined their passions for research, education, ranching, and medicine with philanthropic efforts that have profoundly impacted their community. David and Tanya have also been exceptionally generous with their time and energy serving on boards and committees in Great Falls and Montana. Their many volunteer activities have included Tanya’ s service to Benefis on it’s Regional Advisory Board, Benefis Health System Board, Benefis Health System Foundation Board and Benefis Pre & Post-Acute Board. David, a rancher, was also head of Montana State University’s Zoology and Entomology Department and was associated with McLaughlin Research Institute and served on their Board of Directors. He is serving on the Board of Governors of the MSU Alumni Foundation and is a member of the Fort Keogh USDA Animal and Range Science Experiment Station Customer Focus Group. The Camerons believe education is the cornerstone to the success of a community. They have created this scholarship with the goal of attracting and keeping much-needed physicians in our region.

ELIGIBILITY

• Applicants must be a student at an accredited medical school with preference given to those students of the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine, WWAMI students or the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine of Montana.
• Applicants must have a clinical rotation scheduled at Benefis Health System or have completed a clinical rotation at Benefis Health System.
• Applicant must be in good academic standing.
• Applicants must be a student at an accredited medical school with preference given to those students of the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine of Montana, Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine and WWAMI students.
• Applicant may be requested to participate in a personal interview with the Scholarship Selection Committee.

GENERAL INFORMATION AND APPLICATION PROCESS

Availability of scholarship(s) is determined by Benefis Health System Foundation. Applications are available through the Benefis.org/Foundation. Direct all questions regarding the application process to Benefis Health System Foundation, Scholarship Program at 455-5840 or you may access the website at Benefis.org/Foundation. Completed applications must be submitted on-line by 11:59 pm, June 1.

Application Deadline: June 1 for fall and spring semesters

Applicants must submit the following criteria:

• Completed application form by designated deadline.
• Proof of academic standing from medical school.
• Two letters of recommendation, one of which should be from a current professor.
• List of clinical rotations known as of scholarship deadline date.
• A letter stating reasons for choosing the area of medicine and your interest in serving the people of northcentral Montana in the future.

The Nancy Cameron Medical Education Endowment Scholarship is designed to assist medical school students with tuition and Benefis Health System’s physician recruitment and retention efforts. The Ms Cameron recognizes the urgent and growing need for physicians to serve the people of north central Montana and wish to encourage medical students to choose to come to Benefis Health System for training and later, employment. The scholarship is supported by an endowment created through the generosity of Ms. Cameron.

GOALS

• To improve recruitment and retention of physicians to better serve our patients and their families.
• To provide access to financial assistance to medical school students.

SCHOLARSHIP OVERVIEW

Nancy Cameron has created a remarkable legacy of generosity in Montana. Although life took her to other parts of the country her first home is Montana. She was born in Great Falls and went to Great Falls High School and studied business at MSU Bozeman. Ms. Cameron worked in public health in Alaska for 16 years while her husband was with the FAA and they lived north of Nome above the artic circle. It was there that she became aware that many families needed basic things- like medical care and access to physicians.

Her husband was eventually transferred to Boise and she has lived there since 1976. She spent many years working for the Episcopal Cathedral in Boise and was witness to many needs in the community.

Ms. Cameron contributes much of her good fortune to her grandfather, father and brother David and their work on the family ranch and she desires to use her resources to help the people of Montana. Like her brother and sister-in-law, David and Tanya Cameron, she believes education is the cornerstone to the success of a community. She has created this scholarship with the goal of attracting and keeping much-needed physicians in our region.

ELIGIBILITY

• Applicants must be a student at an accredited medical school with preference given to those students of the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine, WWAMI students or the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine of Montana” to be built in Great Falls.
• Applicants must have a clinical rotation scheduled at Benefis Health System or have completed a clinical rotation at Benefis Health System.
• Applicant must be in good academic standing.
• Applicants must be a student at an accredited medical school with preference given to those students of the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine of Montana, Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine and WWAMI students.
• Applicant may be requested to participate in a personal interview with the Scholarship Selection Committee.

GENERAL INFORMATION AND APPLICATION PROCESS

Availability of scholarship(s) is determined by Benefis Health System Foundation. Applications are available through the Benefis.org/Foundation. Direct all questions regarding the application process to Benefis Health System Foundation, Scholarship Program at 455-5840 or you may access the website at Benefis.org/Foundation. Completed applications must be submitted on-line by 11:59 pm, June 1.

Application Deadline: June 1 for fall and spring semesters

Applicants must submit the following criteria:

• Completed application form by designated deadline.
• Proof of academic standing from medical school.
• Two letters of recommendation, one of which should be from a current professor.
• List of clinical rotations known as of scholarship deadline date.
• A letter stating reasons for choosing the area of medicine and your interest in serving the people of northcentral Montana in the future.

The Great Falls Medical Achievement Scholarship is designed to assist with medical school tuition, keeping in mind the urgent and growing need for physicians to serve the people of north central Montana. The scholarship fund was created in thanks to the generosity of Mr. Paul Husted and his wife Lori, who have become renowned in Great Falls through their continual support of the community members and local organizations.

ELIGIBILITY

• Applicants must be accepted to and enrolled at an accredited medical school with preference given to those students enrolling at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine of Montana in Great Falls.
• Applicants must be an employee of Benefis Health System with three years of service.
• Preference will be given to students from Montana and intending to stay in-state to practice following their completion of medical school.

GENERAL INFORMATION AND APPLICATION PROCESS

Availability of scholarship(s) is determined by Benefis Health System Foundation. Applications are available at www.benefis.org/foundation.    

Applicants must submit the following criteria:

• Completed application form submitted to the Benefis Health System Foundation by June 1. 
• Proof of enrollment.
• Two letters of recommendation
• A letter stating reasons for choosing the area of medicine and your interest in serving the people of northcentral Montana.

ELIGIBILITY

• University of Montana School of Pharmacy Student who is employed by Benefis or who is an immediate family member of a Benefis employee.
• Pharmacy Technician student or Pharmacy Technician-In-Training (this is a Board of Pharmacy registration/designation of someone in training to take the exam to be a Pharm Tech)  who is employed by Benefis or who is an immediate family member of a Benefis employee 
• In good standing within the academic program and at least a 3.0 GPA if currently enrolled 

$500 Scholarship fund for Continuing Education/Leadership development

For Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians

Criteria:  Benefis Pharmacy employee in good standing.  For education costs associated with professional development that supports performance within the goals of the department and organization.  [patient care, safety, quality, financial stewardship and growth (innovation)]

Preference given to:  (both scholarships)

• Service to community.
• the profession of Pharmacy and/or a professional organization.
• service to Country.
• Leadership position/s held or demonstrated.

If there are not applicants for both, or if a continuing education program is less than the $500 , multiple awards totaling $1000 may be given to different applicants in one scholarship cycle year.