While the physician shortage predicted for 2030 will affect every state, Idaho may be hit particularly hard. The state is expected to be short over 1,700 doctors. Currently, thirty-nine of the state’s 44 counties are designated as health professional shortage areas, areas where there are 3,500 or more patients for every provider. Idaho currently ranks 50th in physician supply and 49th in active primary care physicians, showing just how much the state needs to increase the number of care providers available in the state.
Nurse practitioners are uniquely positioned to fill these gaps. Idaho is a full-practice state, which means that they can diagnose, treat, and prescribe medications independently. Because this state is primarily rural, it offers unique opportunities for nurses who wish to help patients outside a major metropolitan area.
There are a few major hospital systems across the state. Kootenai Health and Northern Idaho Advanced Care Hospital are in the northern panhandle, St. Joseph Regional Medical Center is just south of Moscow, and West Valley Medical Center and the St. Luke’s System are clustered around Boise. However, most of the counties are rural and may have difficulty accessing healthcare.
Idaho is a great state for outdoor lovers. You can hike at Lake Coeur d’Alene, go boating on Lake Pend Oreille, or spot wildlife at Yellowstone National Park. Adventure seekers will love sledding at Bruneau Dunes State Park or skiing at Dollar Mountain. There are also plenty of hot springs to relax in and plenty of breweries, distilleries, farmer’s markets, and fine dining across the state.
The main urban area in the state is Boise, the City of Trees. Each of the universities covered below has a campus near the city. It is an ideal college town, offering a bustling arts and culture scene as well as easy access to a variety of outdoor adventures, including rock climbing, skiing, hiking, and water sports. It is also one of the top ten cities for cyclists in the country.
If you’re interested in working as a nurse practitioner in the Gem State, there are three universities where you might consider enrolling to pursue your degree. We detail these schools as well as their NP programs below.
Program Overview:
Boise State University began as a junior college in 1932 and is today the largest university in the state of Idaho. The School of Nursing in the College of Health Sciences has been educating nurses since 1955 and offers two DNP options for students who wish to practice as NPs.
The 70-credit BSN to DNP FNP option features mostly online classes with annual on-campus summer intensives. It is structured as a cohort model where students move through the program as a group. Nurses who already have an MSN can also enter the program and will have a transcript review to determine what courses they need to complete to meet the requirements. The BSN to DNP AGNP Acute Care is also 70 credits and structured similarly.
Students get hands-on experience on campus in the school’s fully interactive Simulation Center. The center is designed to resemble a hospital floor, with a central nurse’s station surrounded by acute care rooms. Students work with mannequins and standardized patients to gain experience that will help them during their clinical hours and future careers. Standardized patients are trained actors who take on real patients’ medical history, characteristics, and symptoms. The center also has a practice lab where students can learn skills like intubation and cardiovascular resuscitation.
Program Overview:
Although Idaho State University has roots going as far back as 1901, the College of Nursing wasn’t established until 1956 and is part of the College of Health at the Kasiska Division of Health Sciences. It offers a variety of programs, including two doctorate tracks for nurses who wish to pursue careers as FNPs.
The BSN to DNP FNP track is a total of 78 credits with 1000 clinical hours, and the Post-Graduate MSN to DNP FNP option is 29 credits with 1000 clinical hours, though students entering the MSN to DNP program may have a gap analysis to determine the total number of credits and clinical hours they need to complete the program. Note that the MSN to DNP FNP option is only for nurses who already have a master’s-level FNP degree.
Courses for both of these DNP programs are offered online, but FNP students must come to the Pocatello campus in the southeast part of the state and the Meridian campus just west of Boise two to four days each semester for clinical intensives. There is also a mandatory program orientation on the Pocatello campus.
The FNP program at ISU is open to students in some other states. However, because of individual state licensure requirements, this program only admits students from Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Oregon.
Program Overview:
This Christian liberal arts institution is affiliated with The Church of the Nazarene, but about 65% of students are affiliated with different denominations or no religion at all. Located about 20 miles west of Boise, Northwest Nazarene University opened its doors in 1913 and the Idaho Holiness School in the Mennonite church. Today, it bills itself as Idaho’s premier Christian university. It’s located in Nampa, just 20 miles west of Boise.
The 48-credit BSN to FNP program at Northwest Nazarene University is designed to be flexible, making it a good option for working professionals, and it’s open to students in states outside of Idaho. All courses are taught online, but students can complete 600 required clinical hours in their home states. During required on-campus immersions, students benefit from learning in the state-of-the-art labs and patient simulators in the Thomas Family Health and Science Center. The program uses a cohort model, so students move through classes as a group.
Note that students from states outside of Idaho should verify that this program meets the licensing requirements for their home states.
NP Programs in Other States
Washington
Oregon
South Dakota
North Dakota
Wyoming
Montana