Colorado had nearly 42,000 RNs licensed in the state in 2010 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Colorado is a participant in the Nurse Licensure Compact, meaning that Colorado-licensed RNs can practice in 24 states. A survey of the Colorado RN workforce performed by the Colorado Health Institute (CHI) found about 61 percent of employed RNs work in acute care, with large segments employed in community-based care and extended care.
The CHI study also found Colorado RNs are better educated than the national average, with 50 percent holding a BSN degree or higher, compared with 37 percent nationally. Over one-fourth of Colorado RNs plan to obtain an advanced degree. Nurses who do not plan to further their education say lack of time and cost keep them from doing so. Today, Colorado nurses have many convenient options available to them. Often, loans and grants are available, and many employers offer full or partial tuition reimbursement.
Schools to consider
University of Colorado - Denver (Aurora). Schedules are flexible in this program, and courses are largely web-based or online. Required clinical experience may be scheduled at a dozen or more sites in the region. The program may be completed in three or four semesters. Courses include nursing research, bioethical and legal foundations and health assessment.
Colorado Mesa University (Grand Junction). This online program offers upper division nursing classes on a part-time basis over two years, or full-time over one year. Classes are also available on the CMU campus. Classes include family nursing, community health, leadership and nursing research. Some clinical time is required.
University of Northern Colorado (Greeley). This is an online program that takes five semesters or 16 months to complete. Students move through the program in cohorts that begin every summer. Two courses are taken each semester. Two courses (community health and professional roles) require clinical time that can be arranged near the student's home.
