Arizona has been so severely impacted by the nursing shortage that lawmakers recently drafted a bill to allocate $50 million from the state’s general fund to try and find solutions. The state senate is currently debating that legislation, Senate Bill 1354. In an effort to entice more nurses to work in Arizona, the state also approved a bill in April 2019 establishing reciprocity for registered nurses with out-of-state licenses. The number of Baby Boomers who have moved to the Grand Canyon State as they age and will need a lot of medical care in the future is what’s causing the shortage. Specialized behavioral health nurses and nurse practitioners will be in particularly high demand. Hospitals in Arizona are making every effort to entice graduates of accredited nursing schools by providing incentives like signing bonuses, free housing, and even tuition reimbursement.
THE TOP 7 ACCREDITED NURSING SCHOOLS IN ARIZONA FOR 2022 ARE LISTED BELOW.
1. University of Arizona, Tucson
About the Nursing College at the University of Arizona: The University of Arizona College of Nursing will provide you with access to the tools you’ll need to pursue a rewarding career, regardless of whether your interests lie in nursing practice or nursing research. In order to address the persistent nursing shortage in the Grand Canyon State, the college was established in 1957. Community involvement and cross-cultural perspectives are highlighted in its curriculum. Faculty members can be found conducting cutting-edge research on subjects like health determinants and the advancement of informatics when they are not instructing students. Grants from organizations like the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute, and the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses are used to support faculty research.
At the Steele Innovative Simulated Learning Center, students participate in drills to start developing clinical skills. Once students have a firm grasp of the fundamentals of nursing, they move on to clinical rotations at the University of Arizona Medical Center as well as other hospitals, clinics, and community health organizations located throughout the metropolitan Tucson area.
Financial Aid: University of Arizona students who have declared a nursing major have access to a variety of scholarships; in order to find these opportunities, you must register with the Scholarship Universe database. Only students who have been admitted to the university and who have submitted a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form are eligible to receive scholarships. Federal and state grants and loans require the FAFSA as a requirement as well.
2. Arizona State University, Phoenix
About College of Nursing and Health Innovation: The College of Nursing and Health Innovation at Arizona State University is one of the best in the country, according to “U.S. News and World Report.” Its programs are made to prepare you to provide healthcare both in more conventional hospital settings and in community settings. The Center for Advancing Interprofessional Practice, Education and Research, the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, and the Center for World Health are three research initiatives connected to this nursing school in Arizona. A degree from this university will help you be ready for whatever changes tomorrow brings because the health care industry is one that is rapidly evolving.
The three campuses of the university in Phoenix each host a different nursing program. The 18,000 square foot Simulation & Learning Resources facility in downtown Phoenix’s Mercado district has computer commons, skill labs, a health assessment lab, and virtual hospital rooms. Clinical rotations happen at the Mayo Clinic in addition to other hospitals, community clinics, hospitals, and schools in Phoenix and its surrounding areas. Students can also choose to take part in a two-week service-learning trip to Peru, where they will have the chance to learn more about the urban, rural, and traditional health care settings of that nation.
Financial Aid: A number of ASU nursing scholarships have been endowed by private donors; more details about these are available by logging onto the ASU Scholarship Application Portal. Scholarships with financial need requirements will only be taken into account after the FAFSA file has been submitted. If you want to be considered for federal and state grants and loans, the FAFSA form is also required.
3. Grand Canyon University, Phoenix
The College of Nursing and Health Care Professions’s description: The College of Nursing and Health Care Professions at Grand Canyon University works hard to apply nursing theory to real-world situations similar to those you’ll encounter on the job. You can expect the professionalism and critical thinking skills you learn at Grand Canyon University to be tempered by a strong sense of accountability, even though the university no longer maintains its affiliation with the Southern Baptist Convention. The ranking website College Factual has singled out this college as having a particularly strong nursing program for service members.
At GCU’s Banner Boswell campus in northwest Phoenix, classes are held. In a brand-new, cutting-edge simulation lab outfitted with high-tech manikins programmed to react to stressful stimuli in ways that mimic those of human patients, nursing students started learning fundamental clinical skills in the spring of 2018. Banner Del Webb Medical Center, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Mercy Gilbert Hospital, and other acute care, ambulatory care, and community care facilities located throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area are among the partners of the college for clinical rotations.
Financial aid: Three nursing-specific scholarships are available from Grand Canyon University. Additionally, nursing students are encouraged to submit applications for any other internal or external scholarships whose requirements they can meet. Additional eligibility for need-based state and federal financial aid may be determined by submitting an FAFSA.
4. Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff
The NAU School of Nursing at Northern Arizona University will teach you how to tailor the nursing care you provide to the unique requirements of the patient, family, or community you’re caring for. Another nursing program in Arizona was established by this institution to address the severe staffing shortages in the Grand Canyon State. The only reservation-based baccalaureate nursing program in the United States is provided by NAU. This curriculum was created to meet the needs of Native American students and the Navajo and Hopi communities in which they reside.
On the Flagstaff campus, there are several opportunities for hands-on learning, including a sophisticated simulation lab where students respond to health care scenarios resembling those they will see in hospitals, with the exception that high-tech manikins stand in for actual patients. Clinical rotations at hospitals, clinics, agencies, and schools in towns like Flagstaff, Cottonwood, Sedona, Gallup, and Tuba City are another way that NAU nursing programs give students hands-on experience. Enroll in a study abroad program in the Netherlands or East Africa through NAU’s Center for International Education if you’re interested in learning more about the needs of people around the world in terms of healthcare.
Financial aid: NAU students who have chosen a nursing major have access to nearly 40 scholarships. These scholarships range in their intended audience, with some intended for graduate students and others for undergraduates. All call for the delivery of the general scholarship application from NAU. You will also be eligible for need-based state and federal aid if you complete and submit an FAFSA form.
5. Chamberlain College, Phoenix
The Chamberlain College of Nursing was founded as the Deaconess School of Nursing in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1889. It now has 15 locations across the United States and is a part of a consortium for global health education. Chamberlain actively mentors its first-year nursing students, providing specialized workshops and success-oriented support strategies. If you’re interested in nursing because you want to better serve the health needs of this expanding American population segment, Chamberlain Phoenix is undoubtedly worth considering. It’s one of the few nursing schools in Arizona to offer a “Concentration in Serving Hispanic Communities.”
In Phoenix’s central business district is the College of Nursing. Its Simcare Center features a virtual hospital environment complete with patient monitoring technology, hospital beds, and scrub sinks. The Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Kingman Regional Medical Center, and Summit Healthcare Regional Medical Center are some of the clinical rotation partners. Additionally, Chamberlain maintains connections with community colleges across Arizona, including Yavapai College, Coconino Community College, and Pima Community College, through which students at these institutions may be qualified for tuition discounts.
Financial aid: Seven institutional scholarships are offered by Chamberlain College and may be used to cover living costs while a student is enrolled at their campus in Phoenix. Additionally, the college provides two institutional grants that may only be applied toward tuition. Students studying nursing at Chamberlain may also be qualified for state and federal grants based on the information in their FAFSA application.
6. Brookline College, Phoenix
Regarding the nursing program at Brookline College: Brookline College is aware that you don’t have much time to waste. Although the school offers year-round enrollment, including summertime classes, you may be able to finish your nursing degree in a shorter period of time. Its nursing degrees in AZ include the same coursework, simulation learning experiences, and clinical rotations as other nursing programs. The college collaborates with Phoenix’s Head Start program to provide nursing students who can show a sufficient level of financial need with free child care.
Students learn clinical skills like IV insertion, blood draws, and Foley catheter insertions in simulation labs that are integrated with classroom instruction. The Maricopa Department of Public Health, Abrazo Health, Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Banner Health, and other hospitals, long-term care facilities, community and public health agencies throughout Phoenix and the surrounding communities are just a few of the practice settings where students can put their newly acquired proficiency in these skills to use.
Financial aid: Brookline does not provide institutional scholarships for nursing students, but the institution does advise them to look for outside scholarships. According to the information on their FAFSA form, students may be eligible for Pell Grants, work-study, and Stafford loans because Brookline participates in federal Title IV funding.
7. University of Phoenix, Phoenix
About the University of Phoenix’s School of Nursing: The University of Phoenix-affiliated School of Nursing offers nursing degree programs on its physical campus in the southwest of Phoenix, though it is best known for its distance learning program. Because you can only take one class at a time, this school may be the best option if you’re trying to fit your education into a busy schedule. Naturally, if you prefer, you can also enroll in additional credits, which might enable you to finish your nursing degree sooner. Through the innovative Prior Learning Assessment program, students also have the choice to count relevant work experience toward their college credits (PLA.)
The immersive Nursing Simulation Lab at University of Phoenix, which first opened its doors in 2009, was a pioneer in the field of simulation learning. Here, students can practice on high-fidelity manikins that are programmed to react lifelike to a variety of situations that they will encounter on hospital units while learning new skills in virtual hospital rooms. Following the acquisition of clinical skills, clinical placements occur in a range of healthcare facilities throughout Phoenix and the surrounding areas.
Financial aid is available to all University of Phoenix students, including nursing students, through a number of institutional scholarships. In order to pay for their education, nursing students are also urged to consider applying for scholarships from outside institutions. Federal and state financial aid based on need may also be an option, if the data provided on the FAFSA form justifies it.
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