MONMOUTH, Ill. — Monmouth College and OSF HealthCare have announced a new partnership for those looking to work in nursing, pending final approval from the Higher Learning Commission.
The new Monmouth College-OSF 3+1 nursing program will require students to complete three years of studies at Monmouth in either biology, biopsychology or health science and human movement. They will then complete the one-year accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing through OSF's Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing. All of it will be done on Monmouth's campus.
"Participants in this innovative program will have the best of two experiences —the combination of an exceptional residential liberal arts and sciences college and a high-quality college of nursing," a press release about the partnership said.
Monmouth and OSF's new program hopes to address the shortage of nurses in the country. From 2020 to 2021, the number of registered nurses in the workforce fell by more than 100,000. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce anticipates nearly 200,000 job openings for registered nurses every year for the next eight years.
Graduates of the program will earn two degrees in just four years.
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