Though COVID-19 has reduced job prospects for some, it has increased demand for the 339 nursing students poised to graduate. 

Normally graduates must wait until after they pass the board exam but for now, they can be hired in Indiana as a graduate nurse, according to an Indiana State Executive Order issued by Gov. Eric Holcomb. 

“The governor has made it easier for them to take on roles as graduate nurses while they prepare to take the registered nurse board exam,” said Lisa Hopp, Dean of PNW’s College of Nursing. “Many students have positions lined up.”

She said these are challenging times to be a nurse or other healthcare provider. 

Many students work in hospitals or other healthcare facilities while in school. They have had first-hand knowledge of the clinical environment as students and in roles like patient care technicians. Students have experienced the pressure of working with patients during the pandemic.

 “I have been amazed at their resilience,” Hopp said. “Our graduates will enter the profession when the public really understands and respects the care we give,” she said. “I think it is a great time to be a nurse, despite the challenges of the pandemic.”