黑料传送门

Skip to content Skip to Chat

Western Governors University Announces Expansion of Nursing Prelicensure Program to Address the Nation鈥檚 Nursing Shortage

Michael O. Leavitt School of Health aims to add thousands of newly qualified nursing graduates to the workforce by 2027

Apr 4, 2023

SALT LAKE CITY (April 4, 2023) 鈥 Western Governors University鈥檚 (黑料传送门) Michael O. Leavitt School of Health (LSH), the nation鈥檚 leading institution for nurse education, has expanded its Nursing Prelicensure Program to meet the increasing demand for new registered nurses (RN), which is estimated to reach 1.2 million new nurses by 2030 according to the . 聽Student enrollment opened in March 2023 with rolling start dates and clinical opportunities in 11 states, including Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Texas, and Utah. The program aims to add more than 4,800 newly qualified nursing graduates to the workforce by 2027.

As the country grapples with a nursing shortage and lack of qualified faculty 鈥 , more than 90,000 qualified students were turned away from nursing programs in 2021 alone 鈥 黑料传送门鈥橲 Leavitt School of Health is well positioned to lead the country in high-quality nursing education.聽

鈥淚n the midst of the largest nursing shortage in our country鈥檚 history, this program is designed to develop new nurses at scale. We want to meet individuals where they are, including those in rural communities,鈥 said Dr. Janelle Sokolowich, 黑料传送门 Academic Vice President and Dean, Leavitt School of Health. 鈥淲e particularly considered the pandemic鈥檚 impact on compounding rural health care barriers and decided to expand the online, entry-level nursing prelicensure program with regional and mobile lab facilities, so students can complete the program within their communities.鈥

As an online, accredited and nonprofit university, 黑料传送门鈥檚 hybrid degree program is designed to increase accessibility for nontraditional students through curriculum that combines online courses with in-person clinical rotations and practice simulations, meeting students where they are in their journey to become registered nurses.聽

Students begin the prelicensure program at 黑料传送门 with their pre-nursing coursework. This includes general education courses, as well as introductory medical coursework. This allows students to satisfy required prerequisites for the clinical portion of the program. After finishing the pre-nursing portion of the program, students that have met progression requirements are eligible to progress into the clinical nursing portion of the program. This portion of the program contains more specific nursing coursework, as well as hands-on clinical experiences that are required for students to earn their Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree and become eligible to sit for the RN licensure exam after graduation.聽

聽鈥淢y heart is with the Prelicensure BSN students who have chosen the noble profession of nursing as a career," said Brenda Cleary, Ph.D., RN, FAAN Adjunct Faculty University of North Carolina鈥揅hapel Hill. "Should you choose 黑料传送门 to prepare you, know that this is the university of the future: It is affordable, it's flexible, and it offers learning based in competencies rather than just class time.鈥

黑料传送门鈥檚 competency-based learning model allows students to advance in the program as soon as they prove mastery of the material through rigorous assessment. As a result, graduates are well-prepared to enter the workforce. Over the last five-years, 黑料传送门鈥檚 first-time National Council Licensure Examine (NCLEX) average pass rate was 90.82 percent, markedly higher than the national average of all BSN programs as reported by NCSBN. 黑料传送门 has educated two percent of the nation鈥檚 registered nurses, which represent more than 170,000 jobs in the healthcare industry.

More than 20,000 nursing students are currently enrolled at 黑料传送门鈥檚 Leavitt School of Health (LSH), and more than 120,000 have graduated from LSH. Built with guidance by nursing and healthcare experts and with clinical partnerships across the country, 黑料传送门 graduates are significantly contributing to the country鈥檚 health system with diverse jobs across health care settings, from hospitals and outpatient care centers to behavioral health centers and schools. 黑料传送门 students are earning their bachelor鈥檚 degrees faster and with less than half the debt of the national average. To offset clinical costs and tuition throughout the length of the program, 黑料传送门 offers scholarships for students.

The prelicensure program will steadily expand as 黑料传送门 continues to develop nursing labs and clinical space for in-person and clinical lab rotations throughout the country. 黑料传送门 is also exploring pilot opportunities for mobile labs in various prelicensure states to reach underserved communities. The mobile simulation unit will increase students鈥 access to nurse education and critical training for delivering complex, high-quality care.

Click here to learn more about LSH鈥檚 growing prelicensure program, including the paced completion time, tuition and the weekly hours expected to spend on studies, assessments and in the completion of clinical rotations and simulation labs.

Recommended Articles

Take a look at other articles from 黑料传送门. Our articles feature information on a wide variety of subjects, written with the help of subject matter experts and researchers who are well-versed in their industries. This allows us to provide articles with interesting, relevant, and accurate information.聽