Loyola, Ochsner team up to tackle nursing shortage

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Loyola University and Ochsner Health have partnered on a new undergraduate nursing program to address an ongoing shortage of nurses.

The four-year, full-time program begins in Fall 2021. It leads to a pre-licensure bachelor of science degree in nursing and offers in-person classroom instruction and hands-on clinical training with Ochsner. After graduation, students will be eligible to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination for registered nurses, a news release said.

The program has received approval from the Louisiana State Board of Nursing and is pending approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

There will be around 175,900 job openings for RNs each year over the next decade, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Loyola currently offers post-licensure nursing education and graduate programs for nursing.

Students will participate in simulated learning in a Nursing Simulation Lab in Loyola’s Monroe Hall. The new space to be built by Loyola and Ochsner is projected to be completed by mid-2022.

Ochsner Health, which will provide Loyola undergraduate nursing students with clinical faculty and clinical placements, the release said.

“One of the hurdles for nursing students is often the clinical placement. Often, there are not enough placement opportunities to meet demand and students face long wait times that interfere with their careers and aspirations. With this partnership, we have removed that barrier,” said Dr. Laurie Anne Ferguson, dean of the Loyola College of Nursing and Health. “Partnering with Ochsner gives Loyola nursing students an opportunity to be educated and practice in world-class medical facilities where they will work closely with some of the nation’s finest healthcare practitioners and receive consistent supervision, emerging as practice-ready nurses.”

Students will complete eight clinical rotations at various Ochsner facilities, working and studying with Ochsner professionals across a variety of specialties, including adult and pediatric medical-surgical care, women’s health, behavioral health and community health experiences.

For more information, visit https://www.loyno.edu/bachelor-science-nursing.