Montana evokes images of wide-open spaces, fishing, white-water rafting and basically any form of outdoor sport and adventure you can imagine. The state remains relatively well-stocked with rural and even remote acreage. For adventure vacationers this may be paradise, but for Missouri healthcare officials rural communities remain severely underserved.
Despite the brevity of the list of Montana nursing schools below, keep this in mind:
Some of the schools on the list, ie Montana State University-Bozeman, have developed and are now offering excellent online nursing degree programs where applicable. This allows working nurses and adult career changers the opportunity to pursue advanced education conveniently from home on their own schedule. Remote prospective nursing students have educational access. It also allows schools to offer innovative curriculums to satisfy regional nursing needs.
Like many other states Montana tangles with nursing shortages and special issues such as rural healthcare. It’s common for the majority of the nursing population to gravitate to Billings –the biggest metro area—to work in the hospitals. Other cities like Bozeman and Missoula also attract their share of nurses.
Montana State University-Bozeman now offers an online MSN that emphasizes rural community and “frontier” healthcare—helping to bridge this major state healthcare gap.
The Montana Board of Nursing provides vital information relative to the scope of nursing practice in the state:
The Montana Nurses Association invites both working nurses and student nurses to become members. This leading organization provides a unified voice for all types of nurses in the state and is particularly active in advocating for nurse workforce safety and patient safety. Use this source to find up to date information on current professional nursing issues, news specific to student nurses, Advanced Practice information, current nursing and healthcare legislation, labor bargaining, and a list of current scholarships and grants for MT nursing students.