Online Kansas Nursing School Guide launched by Kansas Nursing Workforce Center

Anyone thinking about becoming a nurse in Kansas now has access to a free online tool to help them find the programs in the state that best meet their individual needs.

The online tool, the Kansas Nursing School Guide, was launched today by the Kansas Nursing Workforce Center at the statewide Kansas School Counselor Association spring conference held in Olathe. The tool is designed to help potential students, as well as their parents and school counselors, explore pre-licensure nursing education — bachelor’s and associate degree programs and practical nurse programs required to become a registered nurse (RN) or a licensed practical nurse (LPN).

The Kansas Nursing Workforce Center, based at the University of Kansas School of Nursing, was established in 2023 to increase the number of nurses in the state so that every Kansan who needs nursing care has access to it.

“This (tool) provides ease of access to information about nursing education across Kansas,” said Barbara MacArthur, M.N., FAAN, director of the Kansas Nursing Workforce Center and clinical assistant professor at KU School of Nursing. “This is about reaching those who are thinking about nursing education, and that may be high school students, or it may be second-career or second-degree students. It’s for anybody.”

The web tool is part of the Kansas Nursing Pathways Project, funded by the Kansas Board of Regents, and was developed by the Information Technology department at KU Medical Center.

There are more than 40 nursing schools in Kansas. Rather than researching each school individually, potential students can now use the web tool to narrow down their educational options by choosing answers to a series of questions. These questions include the type of degree the potential student desires, their current education level, the preferred length of time to complete a degree, their preferred learning format (e.g., in-person or online-friendly) and in what part of Kansas they would like to study. The tool then produces a list of schools matching these criteria, which includes links to each school’s nursing program and contact information for admissions. These results can also be emailed to the user.

In addition to the search function, the web tool contains information on nursing specialties, different degree options, what to consider when choosing a nursing program, Kansas nursing workforce statistics and, of course, information on each nursing education program in the state.

The Kansas Nursing School Guide will also be incorporated into Xello, which is an online program used by K-12 schools throughout Kansas that helps students identify potential careers and educational options, said Amy Curtis, marketing manager at KU School of Nursing. Curtis oversaw the rollout of the web tool.

“For anyone in the state of Kansas who has any inkling of either being a nurse or helping someone else be a nurse, this is a great first stop on that journey,” said Curtis.