The School of Nursing recently expanded its top-ranked bachelor’s of nursing cohort. Beginning in August 2025, 100 students will enter the program each semester. Previous cohorts were limited to 80 people.
“We’re thrilled to meet the growing demand for nurses across Idaho by expanding our cohort size,” said Angie Phillips, interim associate divisional dean. “This is not only a milestone for the School of Nursing, but a significant step forward in addressing the healthcare needs of our communities.”
The school expressed gratitude for the support of the College of Health Sciences dean’s office, Boise State University leadership and the State Board of Education for making the expansion possible.
“Their commitment ensures that more students can pursue their calling in nursing and more Idahoans will benefit from skilled, compassionate care,” Phillips said.
Community partnerships were ‘instrumental’
According to Assistant Professor Veronica McDuffee, the program’s clinical placement coordinator, one key to the program’s successful expansion is local healthcare partners. They were “instrumental from the very beginning,” McDuffee said.
“Their early commitment and willingness to partner was essential, and we simply couldn’t have moved forward without it,” McDuffee said. They were eager to collaborate and quick to develop implementation plans for some of “our most innovative clinical models.”
“I’ve been consistently impressed by the positive feedback from community partners about their desire to work with us and how our clinical placement staff team streamlines the partnership process,” McDuffee said. “Most importantly, our expansion will maintain the same high-quality clinical experiences students expect, thanks to the strong ongoing support from our healthcare partners and these proven innovative models.”
The School of Nursing works with more than 40 clinical sites across the Treasure Valley.
Delivering top-tier nursing education
U.S. News and World Report ranked the on-campus program as the number one in Idaho, and the school is dedicated to maintaining its high-quality learning environment for the larger cohort.
To make room for more students, the Norco Building has undergone minor renovations. These include increasing available seating, installing projectors for better visibility in classrooms, and converting spaces on the first and third floors for skills labs and simulations.
The program will also uphold its exceptional faculty/student ratios and individualized academic support.
“Student success has been at the center of planning from the beginning,” said Candice Johnson, senior business operations manager in the School of Nursing.
“We have expanded our advising capacity and reviewed our student support processes to enhance efficiency, responsiveness, and accessibility,” she said. “Whether through increased advisor availability, proactive outreach, or tailored academic planning, students will continue to receive the same high level of personalized attention they’ve come to expect.”
The program admits candidates based on a comprehensive two-step admissions process. In addition to typical criteria like GPA – which sets students up for success, since classes are rigorous – candidates are also evaluated through interviews.
This allows candidates to share why they want to join the program and their perspectives on topics like: compassionate care, cultivating community, ethics, resiliency and professionalism. The School of Nursing chose these components based on characteristics necessary for all nurses to hold, as well as ones that represent the identity and culture of Boise State.
A lasting legacy
This fall, the School of Nursing celebrates 70 years of nursing education.
The on-campus bachelor’s of nursing program as we know it today began in 1987, but as Idaho’s oldest nursing school still in existence, Boise State has been training nurses since 1955.
Since that first cohort launched, thousands of graduates have gone on to make a difference in healthcare across Idaho and beyond.