MERIDIAN, Idaho — A 2026 U.S. Nursing Shortage analysis found Idaho has one of the lowest nurse-to-population ratios in the country, with about 1.54 nurses for every 100 residents.
In Meridian, Grand Canyon University’s accelerated nursing program is helping place newly trained nurses directly into Idaho hospitals.
WATCH: Idaho hospitals partner with nursing schools to fill staffing gaps
Sydnee Howard is one of those nurses. Howard originally planned to pursue dentistry before realizing nursing was a better fit.
“Coming here to Idaho, and doing my clinicals at Saint [Alphonsus] and noticing different things, like, I am glad that I stayed here because I know that I am going to make a difference,” Howard said.
Howard graduated in December as part of Grand Canyon University’s first nursing cohort in Meridian. She now works in acute care at Saint Alphonsus in Boise after completing clinical training through the healthcare system’s partnership with the university.
Howard said the program’s accelerated 16-month curriculum helped prepare students for the demands of hospital work.
“It was a rigorous course and having clinicals and labs and simulations and classwork and tests and everything pushed in together,” Howard said. “I just think it pushed us enough.”
Despite workforce improvements since the COVID-19 pandemic, Idaho hospitals continue facing staffing challenges.
“We were five nurses short across the hospital, and so people were picking up and pulling from different departments to help,” Howard said. “But there’s definitely a shortage, and there’s a need for nurses out there.”
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A spokesperson for St. Luke’s Health System said the Treasure Valley’s nursing workforce has improved in recent years, largely because of partnerships with local nursing education programs.
Since launching in fall 2024, GCU officials said nearly 160 students have enrolled in the Meridian nursing program.
Kristine Dittman, director of nursing services for GCU’s accelerated nursing program, said partnerships with hospitals give students valuable real-world experience before graduation.
“These partnerships are so important because they help the students to actually be in the clinical settings that they could potentially be working in, in the future,” Dittman said.
Current nursing student Etan Wright said speaking Spanish helps patients feel more comfortable discussing their medical concerns.
“Once you start speaking in someone's native tongue or language, they really open up, and they really feel more comfortable to talk about their scenario,” explained Wright.
St. Luke’s officials said hospitals are also continuing to hire for other healthcare positions, including surgical technicians, respiratory therapists, and physicians.
