Illinois State University’s Mennonite College of Nursing (MCN) has partnered with Memorial Health to open a new Springfield location exclusively for transfer students. Intended to help address a critical need for more nurses, this will increase MCN’s capacity and create a pathway for more students to become nurses in Central Illinois. Memorial Health will provide just over $6 million over the next 10 years to help establish and support the new location.
“This exciting partnership will ultimately improve the lives and health of the people in the communities we serve,” said Ed Curtis, president and CEO of Memorial Health, who announced the initiative along with President Terri Goss Kinzy at a press conference at the Memorial Learning Center earlier this year. “This region, along with the nation and all of Illinois, faces a severe shortage of nurses. With our support, ISU can produce more registered nurses to serve the health care needs of the communities we serve.”
According to a recent American Association of Colleges of Nursing report, 80,407 qualified applicants were turned away from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2019 due to an inadequate number of faculty, clinical sites, classroom space, and other factors. This contrasts sharply with the growing demand for nurses. As an indicator, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 175,900 job openings for registered nurses annually through 2029. Many factors contribute to the nursing shortage, including retirements from the profession, other sources of workforce attrition, and an increasing number of older adults in need of health care.
The new MCN location will enroll its first class in fall 2023. Students will learn in a renovated building located at 200 N. Grand Ave. West, as well as at Memorial Health clinical sites, giving them a wide breadth of educational experiences.
“We need more nurses, and we need them here in South Central Illinois,” said MCN Dean Judy Neubrander. “By recruiting from the South Central Illinois area and with the opportunities Memorial can provide, we hope they will stay here after graduation.”
MCN has a 100-plus-year history and joined ISU in 1999. The College enrolls a freshman class of about 170 each fall, a number that has grown consistently over the years. With a NCLEX pass rate of 96%, beating both the state and national average by 14 points, the program is highly sought after by prospective students.
We need more nurses, and we need them here in South Central Illinois.
Judy Neubrander, dean at Mennonite college of Nursing
“If we want to proactively address the increasing shortage of nurses, a partnership like this is perfect. It gives our program more capacity and provides a talent pool for health care facilities right here in the heart of Illinois. It’s a win-win-win,” Neubrander said.
“We hope many of these future graduates will continue to make the Springfield region their home,” said Marsha Prater, senior vice president and chief nursing officer for Memorial Health.
Prater noted that Memorial Health hospitals have received multiple Magnet and Pathway to Excellence designations, which recognize the highest standards of nursing quality.
“We look forward to providing these future nurses the opportunity to practice in an award-winning professional practice environment that has committed to raising the bar of nursing excellence, again and again,” Prater said.
The Springfield location is available exclusively for transfer students and offers an array of benefits, including:
- Classes taught in modern, freshly renovated building.
- Clinicals held at 5 hospitals within the Memorial Health network.
- Skills practiced in Memorial Health’s state-of-the-art nursing simulation environment.
- Automatic $500 scholarships for up to 48 students who enroll.
- Same curriculum taught at the Normal location
Prospective transfer students can apply for the Springfield program now at IllinoisState.edu/Apply.
To learn more about the new Springfield location, visit Nursing.IllinoisState.edu/Prelicensure/Springfield, or contact the nursing department at mcninfo@ilstu.edu or 309-438-7400.
