Survey data about registered nurses in Montana show hospitals are facing a tight labor market and a retiring workforce. Montana State University’s nursing college says opening new education buildings on its campuses across the state could help address that.
Montana State University and hospital leadership shoveled dirt at a groundbreaking ceremony in Billings Thursday. It’s the site of a future nursing school building, which will be located between St. Vincent and Billings Clinic Hospitals.
“It’s no secret in the profession of nursing that the nation is facing unprecedented challenges for staffing,” said Billings Clinic CEO Clint Seger. “And now, we have a generation of nurses that are at or near retirement.”
Results from a National Council of State Boards of Nursing survey from 2022 show that 26 percent of registered nurses planned to leave the field over the next five years, up 8 percentage points from 2020.
MSU bills itself as the largest producer of registered nurses in Montana. Nursing college dean Sarah Shannon says they’ll be able to expand their enrollment by 100 students when the buildings open in 2026.
“Our current locations - we really can’t put even one more student in,” she said. “So, these new buildings will be larger. They’ll have bigger classrooms. They will have larger lab facilities for us.
The nursing school is also opening buildings on its campuses in Bozeman, Great Falls, Kalispell and Missoula.
