Columbus State University is tackling Georgia’s critical nursing shortage with a $461,000 grant from the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce. The university will use this funding to hire an additional faculty member to boost student enrollment and enhance its clinical training facilities so graduates remain highly skilled and workplace-ready.

The grant will fund an additional full-time faculty position for two years, allowing the school to increase its enrollment capacity. Unlike some universities nationwide, Columbus State’s School of Nursing has yet to cap its nursing enrollment and turn away qualified applicants due to capacity constraints. This is significant, given federal data projecting a 20% shortage of registered nurses in Georgia by 2038.

“As Georgia is poised to face one of the most severe nursing shortages in the country, it’s imperative that we train and graduate more dedicated professionals who can provide quality care to patients,” said Tammy Condrey, DNP, RN, MSN, an associate professor and director of the School of Nursing. “Qualified nurses are in demand now more than ever—not just in hospitals, but in urgent care facilities, physicians’ offices and public health programs.”

Increasing the school’s enrollment capacity follows the introduction in 2024 of a second admissions window each spring, moving from what was once a fall-only cycle. Condrey noted that this change is accelerating the process of bringing aspiring nursing students into the workforce.

The school’s initiatives to boost retention and graduation rates, along with increased capacity, are likely to further enhance the state’s nursing workforce. Currently, 75.4% of Columbus State nursing students stay enrolled and complete the four-semester program within three years. The school’s graduation rate is 75.6%, with a goal to reach 80% or more. Over the last three years, the school has consistently exceeded both state and national averages in first-time pass rates for the NCLEX-RN licensure exam, achieving a 95% success rate. 

The grant will also boost students’ confidence in their bedside and patient-care abilities before they begin hospital-based clinical rotations. It specifically supports upgrades to the school’s two existing medical-surgical simulation labs in the Frank Brown Hall nursing wing. These enhancements will allow nursing students to practice and refine their skills in a simulated environment under faculty supervision, preparing them for their clinical placements at nearby and regional hospitals.

“It’s important that our students feel confident in their bedside and clinical skills before applying them in a real medical setting,” said Tonya Herring, EdD, RN, CNE, an assistant professor and the school’s assistant director of undergraduate nursing. “Our upgraded simulation labs will give students a more realistic environment than before, where faculty can mentor them in a space that encourages trial-and-error learning.”

These upgrades are on top of a multi-year, $1 million philanthropic investment by the Ride for Miracles organization. Since 2021, the group has raised funds through four cross-country motorcycle rides to establish three new simulation labs for pediatrics, neonatal care, and labor and delivery. Each of these labs offers students specialized hands-on training in pediatric nursing.

Taken together, the Georgia Board of Healthcare Workforce’s support for the School of Nursing’s staffing and experiential learning initiatives helps advance the agency’s goals of meeting the state’s healthcare workforce demands, particularly in underserved areas. Although Muscogee County is categorized as an urban region, it is encircled by rural counties—such as Harris, Talbot, Chattahoochee, Marion and Stewart—that have a shortage of nurses and inadequate healthcare infrastructure.

“Since many residents in these counties seek healthcare services in Columbus, it’s imperative that Columbus State bolster our community’s nursing workforce to serve these Georgia residents,” Condrey said. “Likewise, many of our nursing students reside in these surrounding rural counties and enroll in our School of Nursing and complete their clinical rotations here in Columbus.”

The School of Nursing has full approval from the Georgia Board of Nursing and is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). It offers an on-campus BSN program and online RN to BSN and MSN programs.