Whitworth University will launch its new Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in fall 2027 to address the growing need for trained nurses across the Pacific Northwest.

The new program is expected to boost enrollment at Whitworth and provide a greater number of trained nurses to hospitals in Eastern Washington once it's operating at full capacity, says Chris Sloan, nursing administrator and program director. Sloan, a registered nurse who holds a doctorate in nursing, previously worked as director for undergraduate programming and development for nursing at Gonzaga University and officially joined the university as a faculty member on June 1.

The four-year degree will replace Whitworth’s former prenursing program. Any students enrolled in prenursing in 2027 will be automatically enrolled in the new four-year degree, Sloan explains.

Up to 40 students may be enrolled in the program per year starting in fall 2027, she says. After 2031, the number of students could increase to 80 students per year if Spokane County's hospitals have enough clinical capacity.

Graduates will be eligible to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination and become a registered nurse upon completing the 600 clinical hours required by the state to obtain the degree, Sloan says.

A total of 10 full-time faculty and some adjunct faculty will oversee the nursing program once it's fully up to speed after 2031, Sloan adds.

The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities approved the four-year program, and the Washington State Board of Nursing granted the program initial approval in a separate review, the university announced in a June press release.

The program will be housed at Hawthorne Hall, located on the east end of Whitworth's campus, Sloan says. The building previously had seven classrooms, two computer labs, a print shop, and several university program offices before it was vacated in early June.

Hawthorne Hall will undergo a $3 million transformation into a dedicated, 22,500-square-foot nursing education facility beginning in September 2026. The space will include simulation labs designed to prepare students for real-world healthcare environments, including a hospital-style simulation suite and two 1,000-square-foot skills labs, Sloan says.

A student can complete up to half their required clinical time in a simulated environment — a helpful resource for extra practice or if a hospital is at clinical capacity.

“We want to be respectful to the community, and we want to be respectful to other schools in the area,” she says. “We don't want to come in and take up an unfair share of spots, but the need for nurses is intense, and so schools are looking for ways to be creative and get more students in.”

Other planned training amenities include new high-fidelity manikins, virtual reality tools, hospital-grade equipment and beds, IV stations and medication systems, electronic health record technology, and dedicated debriefing rooms.

“We’ll try to make it as realistic as possible,” Sloan says. “(Simulations) offer things you wouldn't necessarily see in the hospital. For instance, you might have somebody with an anaphylactic reaction to something. The odds that you're going to see that while you're in nursing school are low, but to practice it in a sim situation is great.”

Seattle-based Coffman Engineers Inc., which has a Spokane office, is the project’s engineer. NAC Inc. and Yost Gallagher Construction LLC, both of Spokane, will provide architectural and general contracting services, respectively.

The United States is facing a skilled nursing shortage, and hospitals in Spokane County are increasingly hiring graduates from regional schools’ nursing programs, the Journal previously reported.

The U.S. is projected to need more than 3.3 million registered nurses by 2028 but will only have the capacity to supply about 3 million, according to nurse workforce projections published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in December 2025. Through 2038, Washington state is projected to have the fifth largest registered nurse shortage in the country.

At Washington State University Spokane, 74% of Spokane students reported they had found employment in the Spokane area. Providence serves as the largest employer of the school’s nursing graduates.

Gonzaga University’s School of Health Sciences reported 78% of the school’s 2024 nursing undergraduates found work in Washington state.

Of Eastern Washington University’s first graduating class of 40 nursing students in May 2025, at least 36 are now registered nurses and 75% have taken jobs at nearby healthcare facilities.

Spokane Community College admits 56 students into its nursing program twice a year, a projected 85% to 90% of which graduate. Cheri Osler, associate dean of nursing at SCC, told the Journal in December 2025 the community college’s nursing program placement rate with Spokane-area facilities is particularly high.

“Ninety-nine percent of our graduates stay in the Spokane area,” Osler told the Journal. “So we have no problem as far as our nurses getting jobs.”

Most of Whitworth's undergraduates are Washington residents, and a third of those graduates come from Eastern Washington, Sloan says. Seventy-one percent of Whitworth’s prenursing alumni are working in Washington, and 50% work in central or Eastern Washington.

The new nursing program will create opportunities for more students to train close to home and find care roles with regional or rural hospitals here, she adds.

"We have a lot of work to do in the next year before we get our first cohort started, but we are super excited about the program," she says. "It's going to bring a lot to the community, to have another Washington-focused program pouring really high-quality nurses into our healthcare system."

About 2,500 students attend Whitworth University, according to the press release. The university offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.