OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — On Friday, Creighton University and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced that Creighton will receive the largest-ever investment in the College of Nursing's history. The Accelerated BSN nursing program is expected to receive $25.7 million through a public-private partnership from the state of Arizona, following review and passage through Arizona's legislature.
Creighton University has a 195,000 square foot satellite health sciences campus in Phoenix that opened last year that includes a four-year medical school, physical and occupational therapy programs and the nursing school. Creighton aims to have 900 students on the Phoenix campus by 2025, and the funding for the nursing program may help that goal but will serve as the solution to a larger problem.
“This absolutely serves to accelerate Creighton’s commitment to address the shortage of nurses in Arizona and bring better healthcare to the people of this state,” said Catherine Todero, Ph.D., Dean of Creighton’s College of Nursing and Vice Provost of Health Sciences, in a press release.
The investment into Creighton's College of Nursing's Accelerated BSN Program is meant to guarantee that there will be an addition of 300 clinic-ready nurses in Arizona's workforce by 2030. "By 2030, the state is expected to have just one primary care doctor for every 1,500 people and a projected shortage of 50,000 nurses," in the state of Arizona, according to Creighton's website.
"Time and again, Creighton has proven its commitment to Arizona, our communities and our residents,” Sharon Harper, president and chief executive office of Plaza Companies and Creighton trustee, said in a press release. “Today we opened doors and opportunities for education and the essential healthcare jobs we need.”
However, Creighton's presence in Arizona is not as new as the health sciences campus that opened in 2021. Medical students have been sent to Arizona for clinical rotations for more than a dozen years and have slowly attracted other Bluejay health professionals to the Phoenix area, leading to a formal strategic partnership with Arizona in 2017 and a permanent campus establishment.
"The Creighton University Arizona Health Education Alliance addresses the medical professional shortage by strengthening and expanding Residency and Fellowship programs among its partner institutions and provides the infrastructure, support and resources to elevate those training experiences," says Creighton's website on the Alliance.
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