The Virginia Council of Nurse Practitioners (VCNP) awarded a $2,000 scholarship to Cindy Fagan, DNPc, RN, FNP-BC, on Saturday, Nov. 4 during the Virginia Nurses Foundation Gala at The Omni Homestead Resort.

Fagan earned her BSN and MSN degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University and is currently a Doctorate of Nursing Practice candidate at the University of Virginia. Her anticipated graduation date is May 2018. Fagan’s nursing career spans 31 years, with 18 of those years spent in the nurse practitioner role.

“Cindy’s commitment to the veterans she works with and to her position here at VCNP are inspiring,” said Christine Daley, MN, RN, ANP, president of VCNP. “We look forward to seeing her continue to grow within this profession and this organization.”

With roles in primary care, hospitalist, endocrine, and infectious disease, Fagan has varied experience. She is currently settled in the Veterans Health Administration, having spent the past 12 years serving our nation’s veterans at the Hunter Holmes McGuire Medical Center. Fagan also serves as the government relations chairperson for VCNP and has also served as past-president of the statewide organization. Her responsibilities within that role are to advance VCNP’s mission and goals in terms of legislative initiatives including policy development, strategies and tactics, engaging member participation in advocacy activities, garnering stakeholder support, coalition building and coordination of legislative efforts throughout the state.

VCNP’s scholarship, which was awarded for the first time in 2010, honors nurse practitioners and their passion for quality health care. To date, VCNP has granted $9,000 in total to scholarship winners. The scholarship is funded through the generous membership participation of the basket raffle that occurs each year at the annual conference. Scholarship applicants must be members of VCNP who are enrolled in a doctoral program in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Applicants also must have completed 50 percent of the required hours of graduate study and exhibit academic excellence and a commitment to advanced practice nursing with strong clinical and leadership abilities.