In the many ways that the novel coronavirus has placed critical focus on public health’s importance, the pandemic has sparked renewed interest in the nursing field.
University leaders said more people are inquiring because they want to make a difference.
“I think it’s been very inspiring to a lot of people,” said Dr. Anne Hirsch, an associate dean and professor in the University of Washington’s School of Nursing. “I think we’ll see a number of applicants (this fall).”
UW Seattle opens its registration for its School of Nursing programs soon, and the pool is crowded: There’s a cap of 80 students for the bachelor’s degree and a cap of 64 for an advanced baccalaureates degree, but the last enrollment period attracted more than 600 applicants.
Western Governors University (WGU), a nonprofit online university aimed for working adults, also saw an uptick in interest. The school saw a 10 percent jump in applicants for its College of Health Professions during March 2020 compared to March 2019, and a 28 percent jump during April 2020 compared to April 2019. Over five years, actual enrollment for its College of Health Professions has grown 20 percent nationally, a university report says.
“People are intrinsically motivated to go into these careers to give back to their communities,” WGU Washington*’s Chancellor Dr. Tonya Drake said.
WGU is a little different as it lets students work at their own pace to earn a degree. Its model is based on completing competency modules versus using scheduled semesters. It would take someone about two-and-a-half calendar years at their fastest speed to get a bachelor’s through WGU.
The schools are continuing to give nursing students hands-on training during the pandemic; it’s required as part of the degree. WGU students, for example, take clinical practices at most major hospitals and medical clinics in the area, from the university’s list.
COVID-19 safety has caused “major, major adjustments” in how hospital trainings are conducted, Hirsch said. The university sourced Protective Personal Equipment through its own connections to supply to students for the trainings.
To earn a nursing degree, the path requires completing prerequisite classes heavily in science and mathematics.
Someone can get a two-year Associate’s Degree in Nursing at a community college to test for a Registered Nurse position, or carry the associate’s onward to pursue a four-year bachelor’s of science in nursing. A doctorate’s in nursing focuses on a broader reach that tilts toward world health epidemiology versus individual case care.
Everett Community College and Washington State University Everett both offer the prerequisites for pre-nursing as the first step. At EvCC, nursing prerequisites is the second-largest concentration which students enroll in after general liberal arts.
Washington State University has a nursing school at its Spokane campus, and a partnership with UW Bothell.
“WSU Everett administrative staff absolutely funnel prospective, local nursing students to UW Bothell, even though WSU has a similar program in Spokane,” WSU Everett spokesman Randy Bolerjack said by email.
So, yes, local Cougs can become Huskies and complete their entire bachelor’s in nursing without traveling far at all.
Of EvCC’s 11,367 academic or professional/technical students last year, 1,139 enrolled in nursing prerequisites, from the college’s internal statistics bureau.
WGU’s College of Health Professions had 187 students from Snohomish County enrolled in classes as of the end of March, and graduated 119 during 2019, from university statistics.
The World Health Organization (WHO)’s overseeing body has designated 2020 as the Year of the Nurse and Midwife. Of note, 2020 would have been the 200th birthday of Florence Nightingale, the Briton who revolutionized nursing practices.
The WHO says the world needs 9 million more nurses and midwives to achieve universal health coverage by 2030.
* - Correction to print version: Tonya Drake is the chancellor for Western Governors University's Washington state branch, not chancellor for Western Governors University as a whole body. The Tribune regrets the error.
