INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Butler University announces the launch of its Bachelor of Science in Nursing program to address the workforce shortage and help meet the state’s need for nursing professionals.

Seth Carey, director of the Bachelor of Nursing program at Butler University, joined Daybreak on Wednesday to speak about the upcoming program and how it will tackle the problems in nursing numbers and facilities in Indiana.

“So, we just got initial accreditation last week. So we’re super excited. It’s a direct entry program where we can have up to 48 students in our first class. We’ll start in the fall of 2025. So, students don’t have to fill out additional applications. They’ll apply directly to Butler and get accepted to the nursing program,” Carey said.

Butler will offer students direct admission, meaning they are guaranteed a spot in nursing once they’re accepted to the program. The program also offers experiences other nursing programs may not have.

“The direct entry, the early clinical exposure, but we’re also adding a simulation into our curriculum as well.  So students are getting to work hands-on with high-fidelity mannequins in our simulation lab,” Carey said. “So, they’re getting to practice their skills prior to going into the hospital setting where they’re very nervous to deal with patients. And so we’re hoping to kind of help ease those nerves  just a little bit there as well.”

Indiana is projected to need 5,000 more nurses by 2031. The university says that nursing schools were forced to turn away more than 66,000 applicants from nursing bachelor programs due to a lack of facilities.

“So we are allowed to accept 48 students per the Indiana State Board of Nursing. By the time we’re fully matured within four years, we’ll have about 200 students in our program. So it’s a small dent in that large number that you just mentioned, but we’re super excited about the growth opportunities and the opportunity we have to decrease that shortage,” Carey said,

Applications for the Indiana State Board of Nursing open on August 1. To learn more about the new nursing program, watch the full interview above.