Umpqua Community College (UCC) and Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), members of the Oregon Consortium for Nursing Education (OCNE), have announced a new collaboration, establishing a direct-entry pathway to a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree.

The initiative focuses on preparing psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNP) to help address urgent health care clinician shortages in rural Oregon.

Through this streamlined, more cost-effective pathway, students can begin their education at UCC and seamlessly transition to doctoral-level studies through OHSU. Coursework is completed online while clinical learning takes place locally, creating a pathway for licensed, independent practitioners educated to serve within Douglas County.

“This collaboration builds on the OCNE model, removes common barriers like relocation and the associated costs, allowing students to stay local while earning advanced nursing degrees,” said Danielle Haskett, chief academic officer for UCC. “By training future providers who are already rooted in the region, we’re strengthening health care delivery and building a more sustainable workforce for our region.”

Clinician shortages, geographic location and an aging population impact access to care, especially rural communities, and this new pathway aims to help address this challenge. Nurse practitioners, with their nursing and advanced clinical training, are licensed to provide essential primary care services for general medicine and psychiatric care, including diagnosis, treatment, preventive and continuous care treatment plans.

The program expands UCC’s portfolio of healthcare education options and creates a pathway for students to receive hands-on training on UCC’s campus using the latest advanced training technologies. Students will complete the online baccalaureate in nursing and then be admitted to the PMHNP Distance Program, which is primarily online, with the flexibility to attend a few in-person lab components at an OHSU campus.

“We are excited to collaborate with UCC on this forward-thinking initiative,” said OHSU Executive Vice President and Provost Marie Chisholm-Burns. “This collaboration reflects OHSU’s commitment to increasing access to high-quality, advanced nursing education across Oregon. By reaching students where they live and enabling them to complete meaningful clinical experiences in their home communities, we are helping grow a local, resilient health care workforce prepared to meet the diverse needs of rural populations.”

This article was originally published here.