A local liberal arts college and a Peoria college of nursing are teaming up to provide a new educational opportunity — and address a critical shortage of nurses.
Monmouth College and OSF HealthCare will establish a 3+1 nursing program, pending final approval from the Higher Education Commission.
Through the program, students will receive two degrees in four years.
Students in the program will complete degrees from Monmouth College in biology, biopsychology, or health science and human movement in the first three years.
Then they’ll complete OSF Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing’s one-year accelerated bachelor of science degree on the Monmouth College campus.
Monmouth College and OSF HealthCare will formally announce the partnership and share more details about the program May 9 on the Monmouth campus.
A 2024 study from the Illinois Economic Policy Institute projected the state will have a shortage of 15,000 registered nurses by 2025.
The study found 55 percent of the nursing workforce in Illinois is 55 or older and another 27 percent of nurses is considering retirement in the next five years.
But the state is not producing enough new nurses to meet the demand.
In 2022, fewer than 6,000 new nurses registered in Illinois and passed their National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), according to the study.
The new partnership between Monmouth College and OSF Healthcare aims to give students the experience of a residential liberal arts college and a high-quality college of nursing to help meet the demand.
Tri States Public Radio produced this story. TSPR relies on financial support from our readers and listeners in order to provide coverage of the issues that matter to west central Illinois, southeast Iowa, and northeast Missouri. As someone who values the content created by TSPR's news department please consider making a financial contribution.
