OREGON CONSORTIUM AIMS TO BOOST SUPPLY OF NURSES WITH BACHELOR'S DEGREES
To increase the number of nurses with bachelor's degrees educated in Oregon, Oregon Health & Science University School of Nursing and eight community colleges have partnered to form the Oregon Consortium for Nursing Education, according to an article in the Portland Business Journal. The consortium is a model that makes a bachelor of science education more accessible and educates students more efficiently to prepare them for the future population's needs. Nursing students can take prerequisites at any participating community college or university, then can apply for admission to one of the consortium programs to begin nursing courses in their second year of full-time study. Oregon's nursing shortage is expected to worsen as nearly half of Oregon's nurses reach retirement age in the coming decade.
