Throughout May, graduating nursing students have been walking across stages at their graduation and pinning ceremonies. Thousands of new nurses will begin and/or continue their careers in health care in summer 2025. 

“Nurses make up the largest single group of healthcare professionals in the nation and are increasingly taking on more responsibility in healthcare up to and including taking on the role of primary patient care at doctoral levels,” said Bridgerland Technical College Practical Nursing Director Eric Haskell. 

“The growth of nursing programs in Utah has been widely recognized as a proactive and necessary response to the state’s ongoing nursing shortage,” said Communications Director at Mountainland Technical College Maile Richardson. “Institutions across the state, including MTECH, have expanded their programs to meet the increasing demand for qualified nurses.” 

In Utah, there are over 27 different nursing programs available through post-secondary education institutions for aspiring students to choose from. Students may apply to different programs depending on their options for their hybrid flexible schedules, smaller class sizes, networking opportunities and variable tuition rates. 

For example, MTECH’s nursing program (new location in Provo) focuses on hands-on training with industry experts, lab simulations and clinical sites. While Roseman University of Health Sciences College of Nursing program (South Jordan) offers specialty and leadership roles during two- and four-year programs.

“Many of our LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) students are returning to school after a significant break, balancing education with parenting, work or caregiving responsibilities. This life experience gives them maturity, resilience and a strong sense of purpose,” Richardson said. “Students learn relevant and industry-standard best practices from current nurses.” 

Some of these local nursing programs even partner with one another. For example, the two technical colleges mentioned above partner with local universities to help nursing students continue through their education and career goals. 

Bridgerland Technical College partners with Weber State University to guarantee BTECH’s graduates a spot in Weber State’s Registered Nurse program. 

“We share space in our building with Weber State so (students) would attend all of those classes here at BTECH,” Haskell said. 

A similar partnership agreement exists between MTECH and Utah Valley University, as students can move directly into UVU’s RN (Registered Nurse) program. 

“All of our most recent LPN graduates plan to go to UVU in the fall,” Richardson said. “Students are excited about this transfer credit opportunity and have found it very valuable.”

The majority of students attending the nursing programs listed above are Utah residents. BTECH currently has 96 nursing students per year primarily local to northern Utah, most from Box Elder and Cache County. While MTECH does draw some nursing students from out of state. Last year, 2,093 students graduated from Western Governors University’s nursing programs during their 100th commencement class.

“The goal of nursing…is a science and an art. The science is obtaining research-based nursing knowledge, judgement and skills. The art is the establishment of a caring relationship through which nurses apply nursing knowledge, skills and judgement in a compassionate manner,” said Roseman University’s Director of Marketing Rachel Thomas. 

For readers who may be considering nursing school in the future, a few recommendations were offered. Richardson recommended taking the prerequisites of anatomy and physiology beforehand. Haskell echoed that sentiment with the addition of medical terminology and psychology courses too. Some of the local nursing programs look for students to have already obtained their Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) license. 

“When nursing school starts, you’ll have plenty of work and studying that you'll need to do,” wrote nursing student Molly Jae Cox through the Nursing Programs Facebook group. “You need a stethoscope and a pen light, and they’ll give you scrub specifications as well.” 

Beyond the nursing programs listed above, Utah offers nursing programs through (listed from least-expensive to most-expensive on average tuition costs): Davis Applied Technology College, Nightingale College, Uintah Basin Applied Technology College, Utah Tech University, Galen College of Nursing (Draper), Salt Lake Community College, Snow College, Utah State University, Brigham Young University, Southern Utah University, Joyce University of Nursing & Health Sciences and Westminster College. 

“Nursing education programs generate more than $8.5 billion in annual revenue, representing nearly 3% of all higher education revenue,” said Brady Colby, head of market research at Validated Insights Market Research. “By 2030, the nursing education market is projected to be worth $14.6 billion.”