Spelling it Out: Nursing programs in Idaho
Nursing is one of the hottest careers in Idaho.
As Idaho’s population grows, and grows older, hospitals, clinics and doctor’s offices scramble to find the nurses they need.
Fitting squarely within the much-debated definition of an “in-demand career,” nursing is a popular field of study for high school graduates using Idaho Launch grants.
And this fall, more than 1,700 Idaho students are enrolled in nursing programs of some kind — ranging anywhere from a professional certificate to a doctoral degree.
Every public college and university in Idaho has, or soon will have, a share of the nursing education market. So who offers what? And are the schools working together?
Idaho EdNews asked each college and university to provide a rundown of their nursing programs. Here’s what we learned from each school.
Nursing programs, 101
There is considerable overlap between Idaho's nursing programs, and some common terminology. Here's a quick overview.
Bachelor's degree
A four-year program, offering pathways to the workplace or graduate school.
Registered nursing (RN)
An associate's degree, and often the pathway to a bachelor's degree.
Practical nursing
A certificate's program, which can lead to an RN degree, and then a bachelor's degree.
Idaho State University
For decades, Idaho State has been Idaho’s lead institution in health care fields. Not surprisingly, the university boasts the state’s oldest nursing programs, dating back to the early 1950s.
ISU’s School of Nursing also offers the most varied nursing program options in the state.
Idaho State's bachelor's program offers an accelerated option for students who hold a bachelor’s degree in another discipline, and a track for registered nurses with an associate’s degree. Idaho State also offers an RN degree and a practical nursing certificate.
In the graduate field, Idaho State offers doctoral programs in philosophy of nursing and nursing practice, and a new doctor of anesthesia practice, which accepted its first class of 25 students this fall. Idaho State also offers a master’s program in nursing and a certificate in graduate nursing education.
All told, Idaho State has 482 nursing students. The majority, 289 students, are in the bachelor’s programs. Graduate programs account for another 137 students. Thirty-three students are in the RN program, while the remaining 23 are pursuing a practical nursing certificate.
Idaho State partners with Lewis-Clark State College, the College of Southern Idaho and the College of Eastern Idaho and partners with Grand Canyon University on the registered nursing degree. Idaho State also offers associate’s degree options with two high schools near its Meridian campus: Meridian Medical Arts Charter School and Renaissance High School. Its partner hospitals stretch across the state, from Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello to Kootenai Health in Coeur d’Alene.
Boise State University
Boise State’s menu of nursing options range from certification to a doctoral program.
Its on-campus bachelor’s program, launched in 1987, admits 100 students each fall and spring.
Boise State also offers an online program that allows registered nurses to receive a bachelor’s degree. It’s a longstanding program, launched in a face-to-face format in 1975. Boise State switched to a virtual format in 2008, and the program is now completely online. Boise State has affiliation agreements with LC State, North Idaho College, College of Western Idaho, CEI and CSI, and also has partnerships with three colleges in California and Wyoming. Fall online enrollment is 192.
A doctor of nursing practice program, revamped in 2024, has 67 students this fall.
This fall, Boise State began offering a seven-credit online certificate, focused on serving vulnerable populations. Sixty-five students are enrolled in the program.
Lewis-Clark State College
LC State has offered nursing programs since 1965, when it added an associate’s degree program.
The Lewiston-based college now offers a bachelor’s degree, a program the State Board of Education approved in 2003. It has a fall enrollment of 348.
LC State also offers a master’s degree, specializing in nursing leadership in health care. Six students are enrolled in the master’s program this fall. A direct-entry master's program, designed to take graduates with a bachelor's degree in any field, is under final accreditation review and is expected to take its first students this spring.
LC State also offers a certificate in nursing management and leadership, at the undergraduate and graduate level.
LC State partners with a network of community colleges, including NIC; CWI; CEI; CSI; Walla Walla Community College; and Community Colleges of Spokane.
College of Southern Idaho
The Twin Falls-based community college has offered an RN program since 1971. The program has a fall enrollment of 160. CSI has formal transfer agreements with Idaho State, Boise State and LC State for graduates who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree.
CSI’s practical nursing program, established in 1973, offers a pathway to enroll in the RN program. Its fall enrollment is 35.
Since 2006, CSI has offered a certified nursing assistant’s program, a one-semester program. This offers a pathway to practical nursing and RN programs.
North Idaho College
Established in 1970, the RN program has a fall enrollment of 173. NIC partners with LC State on a pathway for a bachelor’s degree.
NIC opened its practical nursing program in 1975. Sixteen students are enrolled this semester.
College of Western Idaho
In 2009, two years after becoming Idaho’s third community college, CWI launched its RN program. CWI has formal agreements with Boise State and LC State for graduates who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree; graduates are guaranteed admission and can use a streamlined application. The RN program has 91 students this fall.
The practical nursing program offers an associate’s degree or a certificate. Established in 2019, this program has a fall enrollment of 17.
College of Eastern Idaho
The Idaho-Falls based community college’s RN programs serve 224 students, according to CEI’s most recent enrollment figures. The college began offering registered nursing courses in 2006, before it became a full-fledged community college. Partners include Boise State, Idaho State, LC State, Grand Canyon University and Aspen University.
The practical nursing program, which opened in 1971, has 78 students this fall.
University of Idaho
The U of I’s foray into nursing education is in the works.
In partnership with NIC, the U of I will offer a direct-entry master’s of science degree program in Coeur d’Alene.
The program will be open to any student with a bachelor’s degree, in any discipline.
The State Board approved the program in August, so it isn’t enrolling students yet.
The U of I expects to enroll 15 students initially, with enrollment increasing to 25 by the program’s fifth year. The U of I expects to graduate 12 students beginning in the program’s second year.
Kevin Richert, Idaho EdNews