Nursing Schools in North Dakota

Click on a program of interest to find schools:

• CNA Training in North Dakota
• LPN Programs in North Dakota
• ADN (Entry to Nursing) Programs in North Dakota
• BSN (Entry to Nursing) Programs in North Dakota
• RN to BSN Programs in North Dakota
• RN to MSN Programs in North Dakota
• Master’s Nursing Programs in North Dakota
• Nurse Practitioner Programs in North Dakota
• DNP Programs in North Dakota
• Featured North Dakota Nursing Schools

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing sets a ratio of one faculty member per eight students in clinical courses. This ratio has put limitations on how many nursing students a North Dakota nursing program can accept each semester or in a calendar year. The primary reason for this being a shortage of nursing faculty at nursing schools in North Dakota. This has resulted in literally hundreds of qualified applicants being turned away or wait-listed each year at North Dakota nursing schools.

North Dakota is a very rural state and there is an acute need for nurses in those rural portions of the state. The fact is that most nursing school graduates from Grand Rapids, ND or Bismarck, ND do not move to those rural areas. A solution to the nursing shortage in rural North Dakota is bringing the education to them by way of online nursing programs. The online nursing schools found below are CCNE (Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education) accredited. Online RN to BSN, RN to MSN and a variety of MSN programs are offered. A Master’s in Nursing Health Care Education specialty, which will prepare students for teaching at the nursing school or clinical training level, is also offered online.

Online Nursing Schools in North Dakota

Online nursing programs are generally designed for practical nurses interested in becoming Registered Nurses and Registered Nurses interested in advancing their education, so they are not really an option for pre-licensure candidates. For those without a nursing license, it is worthwhile to check out the resource How to Become a Nurse in North Dakota to learn more about the career and the entry options to the profession.

With the very competitive requirements for North Dakota nursing programs and the resulting rejection of many applicants to BSN programs, an online nursing program may be the answer for registered nurses seeking to advance their nursing career in North Dakota. Check with Excelsior College and their online program, one of the few offered in the United States.

North Dakota Nursing Job Outlook and Salary Information

According to Chandice Covington, PhD, RN and Dean of the College of Nursing at The University of North Dakota, “the [nursing shortage] problem is even more critical in North Dakota because our population is older than the national average. The nursing shortage is particularly acute in rural areas.” She also goes on to mention that “today’s nursing shortage is complicated by rapidly aging baby boomers, fewer young nurses entering the profession as older nurses retire, and an exodus of nurses into other fields.”

The bottom line is that there is a nursing shortage and the demand for nurses in North Dakota is not going away anytime soon. This is a perfect time to start or advance your nursing career in North Dakota.

Depending on where a nursing school graduate with a BSN decides to live and work, starting annual nursing salaries in North Dakota range from $40,000 to $55,000. According to salary.com the median annual salary for a registered nurse in Bismarck, ND is $55,048, in Fargo, ND $55,059, in Grand Forks, ND $54,814.

Baccalaureate Nursing Degree (BSN) Programs Approved by the North Dakota Board of Nursing

Associate’s in Nursing Degree (AAS & ASN) Programs Approved by the North Dakota Board of Nursing

(Sources: North Dakota Board of Nursing)

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