College of Nursing

WSU Nursing Honors Symposium Highlights Student Research, SURCA Award Winner

WSU nursing honors students presented research on real-world health care challenges during the April 3 symposium. Topics ranged from neonatal care to Parkinson’s disease, with Cadence McLin, BSN ’26, earning top SURCA honors.

WSU nursing honors students presented research on real-world health care challenges during the April 3 symposium

Hands-On Learning Meets Community Care at Annual Spokane Clinic

The Healthy People + Healthy Pets clinic returned to Spokane on April 2, offering free health services to underserved community members and their pets. Nursing and veterinary students worked together to provide care while gaining hands-on experience.

Nursing students with a puppy at the recent Healthy People Healthy Pets event in Spokane, WA.

‘Empowered Hosted by Meg Ryan’ sheds light on WSU’s solutions to national nursing crisis

In a special partnership program with “Empowered Hosted by Meg Ryan,” a nationally syndicated television segment that sheds light on underrepresented storylines and industry sectors, experts in WSU’s College of Nursing presented the challenges and solutions to addressing national nursing shortages.

Nursing students waving in front of the WSU Cougar statue on the Spokane campus.

WSU Nursing Students Train in High-Intensity Mass Casualty Simulation in Yakima

WSU College of Nursing students took part in a high-intensity mass casualty simulation in Yakima, working alongside medical students, EMS, and law enforcement. The full-day event challenged students to apply triage, trauma care, and clinical judgment in real-time scenarios.

Washington State University students, faculty, and staff who participated in the large-scale Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) simulation hosted on the Pacific Northwest University (PNWU) campus in Yakima, WA.

RN-BSN Spotlight: Kate Pieper, RN-BSN ‘18

Kate Ann Pieper, RN–BSN ’18, returned to school during one of the most difficult seasons of her life. What she gained through WSU’s RN–BSN program reshaped her confidence, expanded her leadership skills, and set her on a path from bedside nursing to nurse educator, mentor, and PhD student.

Kate Ann Pieper, RN–BSN ’18

WSU Nursing Honors Student Earns Crimson Award at SURCA

Cadence McLin, an honors nursing student at Washington State University College of Nursing, received a Crimson Award at SURCA 2026—one of the event’s top honors. McLin’s honors research focuses on improving care for newborns experiencing withdrawal after birth, with findings that could support changes in hospital practice.

Thesis mentor, Theresa Bowden, MSN-Ed, DNP '25, RN, and nursing Honors student Cadence McLin, BSN '26.

Graduate Student Assistantship and Active Research in Reducing Healthcare Bias

This virtual session highlights the role of a Graduate Research Assistant within WSU’s PhD in Nursing program, featuring work on the CBTsim Healthcare Study. Participants will learn how doctoral students contribute to nationally funded research, gain hands-on experience, and prepare for careers as researchers, educators, and leaders in health care.

Split-profile illustration showing cognitive bias in health care. A human head is divided into two contrasting tones, with a tangled thought line connecting an IV bag to a heart monitor, surrounded by medical tools and symbols.

“The art of grit”: Meet Pita Lopez, the firefighting nurse who beat all odds

The life of a local firefighter and WSU nursing student changed in a matter of seconds Feb. 17, 2025.

After finishing a grueling 48-hour shift with the Pullman Fire Department, Pita Lopez was involved in a devastating head-on collision with a semi-truck.

The accident left her with catastrophic injuries: an open femur fracture, shattered tibia and fibula, spinal vertebrae fractures, facial fractures and an internal abdominal tear that caused life-threatening hemorrhaging.

Grad photo of Lopez from May, 2025 when she graduated from nursing school.

From Payroll to Patient Care: How Kim Hoover Built Her Nursing Career—Step by Step

Excerpt
With three young children at home and a full-time job, Kim Hoover wasn’t sure she could manage nursing school again. “Failure wasn’t necessarily an option,” she said. Through WSU’s Concurrent Enrollment Program and a clear semester-by-semester roadmap from her advisor, Hoover earned her BSN and gained the confidence to bring stronger evidence-based practice to the bedside at Legacy Health.

Kim Hoover, BSN '25 RN

Iwate Nursing Students Visited Spokane for Academic Exchange

Nursing students from Iwate Prefectural University, Japan, visited Spokane for a 10-day study abroad tour for academic and clinical exchange with WSU College of Nursing and regional partners. The visit focused on clinical learning, simulation, and cross-cultural dialogue, offering a deep dive into US nursing education while building lasting global connections.

Nursing students from Iwate Prefecture visiting the WSU College of Nursing.

WSU, Spokane Public Schools launch Logan Family Clinic

Washington State University and Spokane Public Schools (SPS) are partnering to create the Logan Family Clinic, a new community-based primary care clinic located inside Logan Elementary School. Opening March 2, the clinic is intended to increase community access to health care by delivering services right where young people and their families need them most — in our public schools.

The Logan Family Clinic, a new community-based primary care clinic located inside Logan Elementary School in Spokane, Wash., will open March 2, 2026 (photo courtesy of WSU).

WSU College of Nursing Yakima-based education transitions to Tri-Cities and Spokane campuses

Washington State University’s College of Nursing will transition its Yakima-based undergraduate and graduate students to the WSU Tri-Cities and WSU Spokane campuses for degree completion at the end of the spring 2026 semester. The College will continue to work closely with healthcare partners in the Yakima Valley for clinical rotations and to support the nursing workforce needs in the region.

WSU College of Nursing will transition 27 of its Yakima-based BSN students to other campus locations in the WSU system at the end of spring 2026.