INTEGRIS Health University: Addressing the nursing shortage through innovation, collaboration

In an effort to offer flexible entry into the field of nursing, INTEGRIS Health and Oklahoma Christian University have joined forces and launched a joint, innovative educational collaboration, titled INTEGRIS Health University. Nursing is a rewarding and challenging career path, that will touch the lives of every person. Nurses are with us, caring for us in our most vulnerable, fragile, joyful and triumphant moments. It is a noble, inspiring profession, but there are too few people entering the field, and it’s going to take bold, visionary action to change that.

The American Nurses Association reports that by 2022, there will be far more jobs available for registered nurses (RNs) than any other profession, more than 100,000 per year. Add to that the projected 500,000 seasoned RNs anticipated to retire by 2022, and you begin to see the urgency in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics need for 1.1 million new RNs for expansion and replacement of retirees, subsequently avoiding a nursing shortage. The pandemic has certainly underscored that nurses are the backbone of the medical profession and we desperately need more of them. The nursing shortage is not a new crisis, but it continues to escalate.

INTEGRIS Health University creates flexibility for candidates by allowing them to work in a hospital setting while receiving their necessary credits. Candidates may already be working as Certified Nurse Assistants (CNA), or they may begin the program without any nursing experience. In that instance, the candidate would first be placed into a CNA program at one of several vocational schools in partnership with INTEGRIS Health. Participants’ CNA coursework would be paid for by INTEGRIS Health, in order to remove any financial barriers for those wishing to become nurses.

The INTEGRIS Health University Certified Nurse Assistant to Registered Nurse program uses a transformational nursing education model that is a less traditional, more blended approach with hands-on learning and online instruction. The program is intended for both recent high school graduates and adults. Each student will perform delegated direct patient care activities to an assigned group of patients, under the supervision of a registered nurse.

Interested candidates will need to apply to both INTEGRIS Health and Oklahoma Christian University. Application forms provided in hyperlinks.