SALEM, OR (February 26, 2024) – Corban University is launching a new nursing program which will offer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree (BSN) to undergraduate students beginning Fall of 2024. The new BSN program will fall under the Department of Math and Sciences and aims to help increase the number of competent, caring, and qualified nurses in the state of Oregon during a time of increasing need in the healthcare field.

The launch of this new program comes at a time when the United States is experiencing widespread nursing shortages, especially in a post-COVID landscape. The state of Oregon specifically produces some of the lowest numbers of nursing graduates across the United States and is in need of more healthcare professionals to help alleviate the burden placed on patients and healthcare providers.

“We need nurses. The United States needs nurses. The world needs nurses,” said Director of Nursing, Dr. Beth Bailey. “Especially here in Oregon, there are fewer nursing programs and fewer nurses compared to other states across the country.”

Not only does the program launch seek to meet a growing need, but the BSN represents a close integration of the University’s mission and purpose. “Corban University educates Christians who will make a difference in the world for Jesus Christ,” said University Provost, Dr. Tom Cornman. “That mission perfectly suits nursing professionals who meet patients as they face great physical and emotional needs. It’s a ‘high-touch’ occupation that will allow our graduates to be the hands and feet of Christ.”

Along with Corban’s distinct faith focus, the BSN will offer nursing students an uncommon opportunity to engage in medical research at the undergraduate level. “We have a lot of research going on here in molecular biology, microbiology, and chemistry, and I believe the opportunity to research will help our nursing students to become better evidence-based practitioners in the field,” said Professor of Biology, Dr. Sarah Comstock. “Not a lot of institutions provide the chance to do research to their undergraduate students. We believe it makes better scientists, better researchers, and better nurses by giving them the practice of being informed and using data to make good decisions.”

For Dr. Bailey, Corban’s focus on a strong science core offers a potential signifier for graduates in the marketplace. “I am excited by the strong science foundation that has already been established here at Corban,” she said. “I think that is a real differentiator among nursing programs. Nursing is an evidence-based science. Practice in research in an undergrad setting gives Corban nursing students a skill that will set them apart and give them a real edge in the field.”

Students in the nursing program will also benefit from stable and expanding partnerships with local hospitals, such as nearby Santiam Hospital, allowing students to not only receive practical, hands-on experience in clinical and healthcare settings, but also the opportunity to experience healthcare in rural settings, serving commonly underserved rural populations, in addition to practicing in urban centers.

Medical service trip opportunities abroad will further highlight the flexibility of a nursing degree to Corban students, affording them the opportunity to experience healthcare in global and developing settings, working alongside medical professionals. “We have been taking teams to Honduras and Haiti for 13 years now and our students get to see healthcare providers making a difference in the world for Jesus Christ through a vocation,” said Comstock. “You can truly make a difference in so many spheres through healthcare.”

The program will begin admitting students immediately who display a desire to make a difference in the world through service in the healthcare industry, and who subscribe to the University’s statement of faith requirements. With a unique curriculum that values and prioritizes practical clinical experience, hands-on research, and faith focus, Corban University sees this dual focus as a benefit to a profession that works closely with individuals during highly volatile and vulnerable times. “Our graduates have already earned a strong positive reputation among employers in the Pacific Northwest and beyond,” Cornman said. “The Corban nursing program will go beyond the expected BSN curriculum in that all students also earn a Bible minor, equipping them to serve with character and attention to the ‘whole person’ in their care.”

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the nationwide market demand for nurses is expected to grow by 9% through 2030, and the State of Oregon is already projected to see nursing shortages continue in the coming years. The addition of Corban’s nursing program comes at a vital time in the state’s healthcare shortage crisis, but also represents ideal employment opportunities for nursing graduates, as Oregon also ranks third in the United States for mean annual wage for registered nurses.

The Corban BSN aims to help alleviate some of these marketplace concerns by equipping new nursing graduates to enter the healthcare profession with competence and a commitment to providing the best level of care possible for their patients. “Corban’s nursing program fulfills our mission by empowering the next generation of men and women who will meet people’s basic health care needs,” said University president, Dr. John Mark Yeats. “This is a continuation of the calling that Christians have followed for 2,000 years of church history and I’m glad Corban is adding nursing to our stellar portfolio of excellent academic programs.”

As Corban University looks ahead to the arrival of their first cohort of BSN students in the fall of 2024, Bailey is already excited about the prospect of their future careers. “Nursing is a lot more than a job. I believe it is a calling,” she said. “It’s a tough job—long hours, emotionally draining, physically challenging—but it’s a rewarding profession that will require a lot from our students, but also see them making a difference every day.” For more information on the nursing program and how to apply, visit go.corban.edu/nursing.