NAU-Yuma Will Offer Accelerated Nursing Program this Fall

Compressed Bachelor of Science in Nursing to take nearly half the time

YUMA, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Northern Arizona University-Yuma will launch a program in fall 2023 to shorten by nearly half the time it takes nursing students to get through their prerequisites. The Compressed Bachelor of Science in Nursing (CBSN) can be completed in 16 months as opposed to 30 months in a traditional program.

A $6.4 million grant from the Arizona Department of Health Services will help pay for scholarships for nursing students in the program. The goal is to get them graduated and practice-ready to help address the state’s critical need for professional nurses.

“Arizona is ranked in the top five states nationwide experiencing severe nursing shortages,” Lillian Smith, dean of NAU’s College of Health and Human Services said. “NAU is positioned to address this critical shortage by increasing access to high-quality accelerated nursing programs which will decrease the time of completion for practice-ready bachelor’s prepared nurses to enter the workforce.”

A recent survey by the National Council for State Boards of Nursing found that 100,000 nurses left the profession because of pandemic-related stress and burnout. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates that 275,000 nurses will be needed between now and 2030.

“NAU has a rich history of serving rural and underserved communities,” Janina Johnson, executive director of NAU’s School of Nursing said. “The tuition scholarships remove economic barriers for those individuals who may be unable to return to school for financial reasons. With this grant and NAU’s School of Nursing strong track record offering quality nursing education, we can support and graduate more nurses and build the nursing workforce across all Arizona communities.”

About NAU-Yuma

Yuma has been designated as a Branch Campus of Northern Arizona University by the Arizona Board of Regents. Although located several hours south of the main NAU campus, its standards are the same. The purpose is to provide an outstanding undergraduate education strengthened by scholarship, graduate and professional programs, and innovative methods of delivery in Yuma and the surrounding region.