Central Michigan University to begin 4-year nursing degree program
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Beginning in Jan. of 2025 a new class of students will be entering Central Michigan University’s four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, and it will be the first.
That’s because it’s a new program, adding to CMU’s existing programs and intended to address the growing demand for nurses in Michigan and across the nation.
The new four-year nursing program will be the first of its kind in the university’s 130-plus years, CMU said in a news release Monday.
“Our program will be a little bit different in a sense as we will be emphasizing preparing nurses for rural, underserved populations in collaboration with CMU’s Rural Health Equity Institute,” said Tom Masterson, Dean of the Dow College of Health Professions.
“Something else’s that’s a little different is our students in the RN-to-BSN program, along with this four-year program, will be taking classes together, which is unique for these programs,” Masterson went on to say. “They’ll be able to learn from each other.”
According to the university, the program will “offer a unique learning experience through CMU’s Interprofessional Education and Practice Center and a new ADA-compliant nursing skills lab.”
The university will also utilize artificial intelligence and other such technology for complex health care.
According to CMU, jobs for registered nurses are expected to increase by 7.9% from 2020-2030, creating an anticipated 6,345 job openings each year.
Michigan’s current nursing school programs produce approximately 3,650 graduates per year, leaving an annual gap of 2,700 open positions, CMU officials said.
The university hired Nel Martinez late last year as the director of the new, four-year nursing program. “When I heard also that the institution here was looking at rural or underserved areas, I got a kick out of that, if I put it that way,” Martinez said. “Because I think it is dynamic. I think it’s very much needed.”
Her first task, they said, is to recruit and hire new faculty and staff.
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