The University of Minnesota’s School of Nursing on the Twin Cities campus has made meaningful contributions to the state’s nursing workforce since its founding in 1909, becoming the United States’ first continuously operated university-based school of nursing.

With a projected decline in nursing graduates, combined with high registered nurses and licensed practical nurses turnover across the state through 2031, there won’t be enough nurses to fulfill Minnesota’s healthcare needs, especially in rural, home care and long‑term care settings.

This troubling trend, signaling a looming crisis for Minnesota’s healthcare system, is due to many pressures: limited clinical placement opportunities and funding to attract nursing faculty, rising costs for students, shifting perceptions of nursing careers post‑pandemic and lack of state and federal funding.

The School of Nursing is aiming to help correct this problem through several initiatives, including co-leading the Center for Nursing Equity and Excellence (CNEE), offering the Doctoral Education Pathway for American Indian/Alaska Native Nurses, expanding enrollments in the expedited Master of Nursing (MN) program and the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree on the Rochester campus, and using future innovations to drive workforce readiness.

Reversing a statewide troubling trend

Headquartered at the School of Nursing and in partnership with the Minnesota State HealthForce Center of Excellence, the CNEE is a collaboration welcoming all nursing education programs, healthcare entities and stakeholders in Minnesota to address the state’s dynamic nursing workforce needs. Ultimately, the center’s work aims to help the state understand the causes of this declining workforce and build and implement the roadmap to reverse it.

Some of the primary ways the center seeks to address this shrinking number of nurses include reducing barriers to education — such as tuition costs — continuing to innovate curriculum to ensure nurses are prepared when they enter the workforce, and highlighting the impact of low nursing faculty salaries.

"Nurse instructors earn an average of $56,000 a year, but a recent nursing graduate with the same degree can earn around $80,000," says Jennifer Eccles, executive director of the center. "This lack of competitive marketing salaries is causing a decline in faculty, which doesn’t leave enough to teach future nurses."

The center also created the highly successful paid pre-licensure apprenticeship program — which has been implemented in select nursing education programs across Minnesota — where students are paid a full-time salary by an employer, including benefits like tuition reimbursement.

“For two of their five clinical days per week, students work at a facility with an experienced nurse liaising with a faculty to make sure they’re meeting their learning requirements; the other three days of the week they are in classes,” Eccles says. “After they graduate, they work for that employer one year for every year they worked for the employer during the education program.”

This is a valuable investment for the employer, who can teach students in spaces that are in high need, such as in the emergency department or in critical access hospitals that are largely located in rural areas. Additionally, the employer saves money on overtime and agency nurse usage, among other returns on their investment.

Expanding pathways for American Indian and Alaska Native nurses

In 2022, the school developed the Doctoral Education Pathway for American Indian/Alaska Native Nurses to support American Indian/Alaska Native doctoral nursing students. Students receive cultural support, mentoring from Indigenous faculty and peer support.

“What happens so frequently for Indigenous students is that they leave home communities to attend school and experience social isolation, culture shock and feeling like they don’t belong,” says Misty Wilkie, director of the program. “Many may not complete even the first semester of college. Pathway was put in place to help them maintain their cultural identity, while learning in individual DNP specialties, and bring knowledge and leadership back to their Tribal communities.”

In fall 2026, the program will have 21 students enrolled.

“I can see this program continuing to grow and that has to do with the level of commitment that comes from Dean Connie Delaney,” Wilkie says. “As far as I know, there isn’t another program like it in the country.”

Expanded reach and faster tracks

In 2002, the BSN program was extended to the Rochester campus.

"The Rochester campus is proud of our partnership with the School of Nursing and grateful for Mayo Clinic's clinical site collaboration,” says University of Minnesota Rochester Chancellor Lori Carrell. “Through immersive experiences at Mayo Clinic, students learn alongside leading healthcare professionals in a world-class care environment.”

The University plans to welcome 20 additional nursing students to the program each year from fall 2026 through fall 2030.

The school also shortened the time it takes to complete its Master of Nursing program, requiring 16 instead of 18 months.

“Our Master of Nursing program at the University of Minnesota is truly unique,” Dean Connie Delaney says. “It's specifically designed for individuals who hold bachelor's, master's or even PhDs in non-nursing fields. In just 16 months of intensive full-time study and clinical engagement, they graduate ready to take the national licensure exam and serve the people of Minnesota and beyond.”

Leveraging virtual reality and artificial intelligence

"To strengthen Minnesota's nursing workforce, we’re also leveraging innovations like our nursing workforce virtual reality hub, which provides immersive clinical experiences for students to prepare them more comprehensively for real-world practice,” Delaney says.

The school is also teaching best practices in artificial intelligence (AI) in health and healthcare.

“We’re committed to ensuring that as we integrate AI, we preserve the ethics and human wisdom essential to nursing and care of individuals, families and communities,” Delaney says. “We focus on how AI can enhance, not compromise, critical thinking and our graduates' ability to make wise, human-centered clinical decisions."

Learn more about the School of Nursing’s history.