York College expanding online learning for nursing professionals

York College of Pennsylvania, a private, non-profit college located in South Central Pennsylvania, has announced the expansion of its online graduate programs to help meet growing demand in fields such as nursing and healthcare analytics.  

The college’s new online programs will enable working nurses and other mid-career professionals to access graduate-level courses to build skills critically needed by hospitals, health care providers, and other employers as communities recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“With the challenges facing us in today’s increasingly complex healthcare system, improving the quality and accessibility of patient care requires new ways of upskilling and educating the healthcare workforce,” said Dr. Victor Taylor, director of graduate and professional programs at York College of Pennsylvania. “This work is about creating high quality online programs and educational experiences that are tightly coupled with the needs of the healthcare workforce and other key industries.” 

The new online offerings include a Master of Science in Nursing—with professional tracks that include family nursing practitioner, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, adult gerontology nurse practitioner, and nurse educator—as well as a Master of Science in Healthcare Analytics, a Master of Science in Data Analytics, and a Data Analytics Certificate. 

According to the school, even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projected a sharp increase in demand for advanced practice nurses, with a 52% increase in openings for nurse practitioners expected between now and 2030. Demand for both registered and advanced practice nurses has continued to increase during the pandemic, amid a growing shortage of primary care providers and increased turnover within the healthcare sector. 

To help meet demand for continuing and graduate education for these high-growth industries, the College has selected iDesign, which has worked with more than 100 institutions to design, build and support online courses.  

A team of instructional designers and educators from iDesign will collaborate with program leaders, administrators, and faculty experts from the college to design and develop the online courses for the new degree programs and certificates. Students who enroll in the College’s online healthcare programs receive clinical placement support as they continue their professional journey. In partnership with iDesign, York College of Pennsylvania will establish clinical placement agreements with regional health systems and other employers who can provide students with essential hands-on experience in a clinical environment needed to advance in their careers. 

The expansion of York’s online programs builds on its existing online degree programs, including the RN to BSN program, which helps experienced registered nurses complete the required coursework to become a BSN-qualified nurse in as little as 12 months. 

“Institutions of every size are demonstrating their capacity to create new and more agile online offerings that are more responsive to the fast-changing needs of the labor market,” said Paxton Riter, CEO of iDesign and a member of the National League for Nursing Foundation’s Bridging Education and Practice Advisory Council. “These online programs will help rising professionals to upskill and accelerate toward career paths that can contribute to safer, healthier and stronger communities.”