NAU offers accelerated nursing program [Video]

YUMA, AZ (AZFamily) — Arizona is facing one of the highest nursing shortages in the nation and Northern Arizona University is trying to combat that.

They’re now offering an accelerated nursing program at their campuses in Flagstaff, Tucson and Yuma.

Arizona is expected to be short an estimated 28,000 nurses for the year 2025, according to the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis.

“The mental health agencies, in our hospices, home health, you name it, health care agencies through Yuma County are all feeling the crush of being short staff,” said Jason Randle Bradley, NAU Yuma Nursing director.

Bradley is a professor and also an ICU nurse at the Yuma Regional Medical Center.

“Having these new nurses join our workforce will definitely make that entire ecosystem, if you will, operate more smoothly. We need more nurses with experience to train new nurses and that cycle will just go on,” said Bradley.

The state …