A proposed new division of the UNMC College of Nursing is planned for Norfolk – a joint program of UNMC, Northeast Community College and Faith Regional Health Services in Norfolk.

• Location: Located on the Northeast Community College campus in Norfolk, Neb.
• Cost: $12.9 million, over $10 million has been raised through a regional fundraising campaign.
• Building details: The 35,000-square-foot facility will house Northeast Community College’s basic nurse aide, licensed practical nursing and associate degree nursing (AND) programs, and UNMC’s bachelor of science in nursing (BSN), master of science in nursing (MSN) and doctoral degree programs. UNMC currently offers nursing programs in Omaha, Lincoln, Kearney and Scottsbluff.
• Serving students: When combined with Northeast Community College nursing programs, six levels of nursing education will be available, from certified nursing assistant to the Ph.D. in nursing.
• Completion: Tentatively set to open in 2010

A North College of Nursing division will help address Nebraska’s predicted nursing work force shortage, one that will impact rural Nebraska and the North region particularly hard.

• The nursing shortage in Nebraska is projected to be over 20 percent by the year 2020. In that same timeframe, the national demand for hospital nurses will increase by 40 percent.
• The North region has one of the most significant RN shortages in the state. It is the only region in Nebraska with a lower ratio of BSNs to ADNs. The shortage of BSNs is especially critical for meeting the needs of community/public health and acute level hospital care.
• The North region also has fewer MSN nurses than comparison regions in Nebraska, which has led to a serious faculty shortage faced by Northeast Community College and exacerbates the regions existing nursing work force shortage.
• The program will serve approximately 50 ADN students, up to 48 BSN students, and up to 20 graduate-level students each year. This translates into approximately 118 nursing graduates each year.