Louisiana State University announced on May 5 that it is expanding its nursing program to Baton Rouge in an effort to address a significant shortage of registered nurses across the state.
The expansion comes as Louisiana faces a projected shortfall of about 6,000 registered nurses by 2030, representing a 40 percent gap in the workforce. The new instructional site in Baton Rouge aims to increase the number of qualified nurses serving both local and state communities.
Janell Soileau, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner and Instructor of Nursing, said, “For the LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans to open a site here in Baton Rouge and allow a lot of students that may have never had an opportunity to be a nurse because they couldn’t leave the area, it’s just a beautiful thing for our students here on campus and our community in general.”
LSU Health New Orleans’ School of Nursing is ranked among the top ten nursing schools nationally. The Baton Rouge program offers the same curriculum as its New Orleans counterpart through both in-person instruction and synchronous distance education. Lillian Blanchard, a nursing student from Ville Platte, said, “With us being such a small cohort, at least at first, it is very intimate, and I know all my classmates, and it’s really just been so awesome, like such a great experience so far.” Students benefit from simulation labs designed to replicate hospital environments. Setora Braxton from Covington shared her experience: “One of the highlights of my time here was holding a human heart and exploring other parts of the human body in the anatomy lab.”
Program director Debra Boyd reported that location was key for many applicants who might not have considered commuting or relocating to New Orleans. Boyd said that this fall’s incoming class will include 90 students with plans for up to 120 enrollees.
Clinical training partnerships with FMOL Health | Our Lady of the Lake and Woman’s Hospital provide hands-on learning opportunities throughout Greater Baton Rouge. Nicole Telhiard, Chief Nursing Officer at FMOL Health | Our Lady of the Lake said: “FMOL Health | Our Lady of the Lake is proud to be a partner with LSU to prepare the future generation of nurses. LSU Health New Orleans has a long history and excellent reputation for producing exceptionally trained and highly skilled nurses… This is a wonderful opportunity for students…and we look forward to hosting these students and LSU faculty on clinical rotations at Our Lady of the Lake campuses.”
By expanding access to nursing education within Louisiana’s capital region, university officials say they hope more graduates will remain local after earning their degrees—helping meet healthcare needs across hospitals, clinics, schools and community centers.
