Are you passionate about making a meaningful difference in the field of healthcare? Have you ever considered a career in nursing?
At Washington State University’s College of Nursing, we believe that nursing is not just a profession; it’s a calling—a path that nurtures passions and transforms lives. Nurses are leaders who can bring healthcare to rural communities or provide critical care in bustling city emergency rooms. They are valued for their dedication, often working rigorous 12-hour shifts, with an average annual salary of $101,670 for registered nurses in Washington*.
The nursing profession offers diverse opportunities, from fast-paced environments in hospital emergency rooms to building deeper relationships in long-term care or hospice. Whether you’re interested in nursing research, teaching, or specializing in a particular field, there are countless pathways to align your nursing career with your unique strengths. If you’re wondering how to embark on this rewarding journey, read on to discover what it takes to become a nurse and join the ranks of respected healthcare professionals.
*according to the Department of Labor Statistics 2022
How do you get there?
You’ll need a degree. Most jobs as RNs require you to have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree.
Consider WSU
A BSN is a four-year degree. At Washington State University, students spend two years on their general university requirements and nursing prerequisites. Those can be done at Pullman or through equivalent transfer coursework. Students then apply, and have two more years of Nursing classes. After that comes graduation, followed by a licensure test, and then you are ready to tackle the job as a Coug Nurse who is in demand by employers throughout the region.
What can you focus on to get ready?
Classes. Concentrate on the core classes that will be required for getting into nursing school. Those include statistics, chemistry, anatomy, physiology, and more! These build into larger nursing education and are foundational topics to know.
Experience. Applicants are encouraged to have work and volunteer experience in a healthcare setting within the last three years. That can be in a nursing home or assisted-living center, in a hospital or clinic, at a camp for chronically ill children, at a first-aid station, homeless shelter with a healthcare clinic — there are as many options as there are types of nursing you can do. This will help you know that being a Coug Nurse is the right step for you to take.
About nursing
Advanced degrees.
With more education, you can become a nurse practitioner and provide all your patients’ primary care. You could also become a nursing professor at a college or university, or a nurse researcher.
Nurses are trusted.
For 20 years in a row, Americans have said nurses are the most honest and ethical profession.
Nursing needs more diversity.
The profession needs more people of color and people from rural areas and low-income communities to go into nursing. As a nurse, you’ll have an important role in your community and your voice will be heard.
With four campuses to choose from, we have options for everyone
The College of Nursing offers degree programs across the state to help address the health care needs of all Washington residents. Degree programs are offered on WSU campuses and sites in Spokane, the Tri-Cities, Vancouver, and Yakima.
Explore our locations below to see what programs and experiences are offered at each campus.
What programs are offered on this campus?
Undergraduate
- BSN
- RN-BSN
Graduate
- MN
- PhD
- DNP
- Graduate Certificates
What makes this campus unique?
WSU Spokane is the university’s designated Health Sciences campus, with the colleges of Nursing, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Medicine co-located here. The health sciences programs collaborate to offer interprofessional learning for all students. The WSU Health Sciences Spokane campus is minutes from Spokane’s Riverfront Park, with easy access to the downtown area along the Centennial Trail. You’re likely to see marmots, ducks and geese – and the occasional deer – on campus.
What clinical rotations agencies/populations are around?
Clinical rotations are offered at Providence and MultiCare hospitals in Eastern Washington, Kootenai Health in North Idaho, and numerous long-term care agencies and community health sites throughout the region.
Classroom Instruction
Undergraduate Courses
Spokane students participate in-person in classroom instruction, with Yakima and Tri-Cities students joining in via Zoom. All simulation and clinical experiences are completed in-person with faculty.
Graduate Courses
Class sessions are delivered by two-way videoconferencing, allowing for maximum interaction with the instructor and students from all participating campus sites.
The program is considered hybrid, with most of the instruction offered online and some on-campus attendance for lab sessions. Students should expect to be on-campus or via videoconferencing a minimum of five times per semester, per class.
In-person class sessions typically are block-scheduled in a 1-2 day block – one of the class sessions, for example, might be scheduled on a Monday/Tuesday. These blocked days may vary each semester. Some nurse practitioner courses require lab intensives that are scheduled separately from typical block scheduling.
More about the area
Spokane has the second-largest urban waterfall in the United States, which is just minutes from campus. There are more than 75 lakes and rivers within a one-hour drive of Spokane, including the beautiful Coeur d’Alene Lake.
Physical Address
103 E. Spokane Falls Blvd
Spokane, WA 99202
What programs are offered on this campus?
Undergraduate
- BSN
- RN-BSN
Graduate
- MN
- DNP
- Graduate Certificates
What makes this campus unique?
With fewer students in your cohort compared with Spokane, you’ll have more one-on-one faculty involvement and smaller groups in simulations and in the experiential practice lab. Another advantage of a smaller group is more one-on-one instruction from preceptors during clinical experiences.
What clinical rotations agencies/populations are around?
Clinical rotations are offered at sites including Trios Health, Prosser Memorial Hospital, Kadlec Regional Medical Center, Lourdes Health, Columbia Basin Health Association, Tri-Cities Community Health, and Washington State Veterans Administration.
Classroom Instruction
Undergraduate
Tri-Cities students participate via Zoom in classroom instruction. All simulation and clinical courses are completed in-person with faculty at the local facilities. Cohorts stay together throughout their classroom instruction, creating close bonds between students.
Graduate Courses
Class sessions are delivered by two-way videoconferencing, allowing for maximum interaction with the instructor and students from all participating campus sites.
The program is considered hybrid, with most of the instruction offered online and some on-campus attendance for lab sessions. Students should expect to be on-campus or via videoconferencing a minimum of five times per semester, per class.
In-person class sessions typically are block-scheduled in a 1-2 day block – one of the class sessions, for example, might be scheduled on a Monday/Tuesday. These blocked days may vary each semester. Some nurse practitioner courses require lab intensives that are scheduled separately from typical block scheduling.
More about the area
The nursing building is located in the heart of downtown Richland, Washington, a short walk to the Columbia River and local restaurants and services. The Tri-Cities area, which encompasses Richland, Pasco and Kennewick, is popular for hiking, cycling, and a variety of water sports.
Physical Address
1266 Lee Blvd.
Richland, WA 99352
Mailing address: 2710 Crimson Way, Richland, WA 99354
What programs are offered on this campus?
Undergraduate
- RN-BSN
Graduate
- MN
- DNP
- Graduate Certificates
What makes this campus unique?
WSU Vancouver was founded in 1989 and is located on a gorgeous 351-acre campus with six miles of trails and three mountain views. It is a diverse campus, with 44% first generation students and 33% students of color. Go here to take a virtual walk across campus.
What clinical rotations agencies/populations are around?
Undergraduate
The RN-BSN program includes two practice experience courses, one is community based and the second is a problem-based capstone project; both are supervised by course faculty rather than traditional clinical hours in outside agencies.
Graduate
Vancouver has a clinical coordinator who assists graduate students with clinical placements. The Masters and DNP students have clinical placements in a variety of settings, including primary care clinics, small rural public health and tribal clinics, as well as in large system-based clinics.
Classroom Instruction
Undergraduate
The RN to BSN program is delivered primarily online using Canvas Learning Management System, with one attendance date per semester.
Graduate Courses
Class sessions are delivered by two-way videoconferencing, allowing for maximum interaction with the instructor and students from all participating campus sites.
The program is considered hybrid, with most of the instruction offered online and some on-campus attendance for lab sessions. Students should expect to be on-campus or via videoconferencing a minimum of five times per semester, per class.
In-person class sessions typically are block-scheduled in a 1-2 day block – one of the class sessions, for example, might be scheduled on a Monday/Tuesday. These blocked days may vary each semester. Some nurse practitioner courses require lab intensives that are scheduled separately from typical block scheduling.
More about the area
WSU Vancouver is in the homeland of Chinookan and Taidnapampeoples and the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. WSU Vancouver is the only “Research I” (RU/VH) institution in the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area, based on the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
Physical Address
14204 NE Salmon Creek Ave.
Vancouver, WA 98686
What programs are offered on this campus?
Undergraduate
- BSN
- RN-BSN
Graduate
- MN
- DNP
- Graduate Certificates
What makes this campus unique?
The WSU College of Nursing is located on the campus of Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences in Yakima. Students have access to robust interprofessional educational opportunities with PNWU students in osteopathic medicine, WSU College of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences students who also are based on the PNWU campus, and students from community college programs in the region. The campus has walking trails, basketball hoops, disc golf and soccer fields.
What clinical rotations agencies/populations are around?
Clinical rotations are available at a variety of hospitals, clinics, and schools; Yakima Valley is a rural area and students will work with patients from diverse populations. Rotations are at Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital, Toppenish Astria Hospital, Sunnyside Astria Hospital, and Kittitas Valley Hospital, as well as at long-term care facilities and community sites throughout the Yakima Valley.
Classroom Instruction
Undergraduate
Yakima students participate via Zoom in classroom instruction. All simulation and clinical courses are completed in-person with faculty at the local facilities. Cohorts stay together throughout their classroom instruction, creating close bonds between students.
Graduate Courses
Class sessions are delivered by two-way videoconferencing, allowing for maximum interaction with the instructor and students from all participating campus sites.
The program is considered hybrid, with most of the instruction offered online and some on-campus attendance for lab sessions. Students should expect to be on-campus or via videoconferencing a minimum of five times per semester, per class.
In-person class sessions typically are block-scheduled in a 1-2 day block – one of the class sessions, for example, might be scheduled on a Monday/Tuesday. These blocked days may vary each semester. Some nurse practitioner courses require lab intensives that are scheduled separately from typical block scheduling.
More about the area
Yakima has about 300 days of sun a year; consequently, the Yakima Valley grows the largest variety of fresh produce in the Pacific Northwest. The centrally located area is about two hours from Seattle and three hours from Spokane. The Yakima Valley offers many mountain trails and waterways just a short drive away.
Physical Address
200 University Parkway
Yakima, WA 98901
Academic Advising
If you are a current WSU or Whitworth student, you should be advised by an academic advisor at your campus. All other students should consult with an academic advisor at the WSU campus to which they they plan to apply.
To get in touch with nursing academic advisors and program contacts for the College of Nursing:
