Educating more nurses to meet a growing demand for quality healthcare

In a recent segment, Richard Prior, senior associate dean for academic operations and accreditation, spoke with Fox 19's Annie Elming about growing enrollment at the UC College of Nursing.

The first-year undergraduate class for Fall 2026 is expected to increase to about 400 students — that’s an additional 120 students over the past year. Applications for the fall at UC Nursing jumped by 23%.

Interest in the nursing profession and growth at the college come as the nation and the region are experiencing a shortage of educated nurses. Prior told Fox 19 that UC is helping to boost the local pipeline of nurses to meet the public’s growing healthcare demands.

“We have both a responsibility to the community and an opportunity to bring as many students as possible into a strong program,” explains Prior. 

Prior told Fox 19 that Greater Cincinnati is feeling the strain caused by a nursing shortage.

“The unfilled vacancy rate is 10 percent, so we’re hoping that by increasing our enrollment, we’re going to address that shortage both regionally and in the city itself,”  he explained to Fox 19 viewers.

More highly educated nurses can lead to healthier communities.

“Good nursing staffing improves patient outcomes, decreases length of stay in hospitals and decreases nurse burnout and increases job satisfaction,” explains Prior. “So by increasing the number of nurses in our community we are going to address all those variables.”

UC Nursing is preparing for continued growth with plans to expand into Holmes Hospital on the UC medical campus as part of a $105 million renovation project.

Currently located in Procter Hall, the college is looking to move to a modernized and renovated Holmes Hospital located on East campus. Holmes Hospital’s 185,000-square-foot footprint is distributed over six floors.

The building is set to be “transformed from a legacy hospital into a modern high-performing home of the UC College of Nursing,” according to a project description in a Request for Qualifications document filed with the state of Ohio.

A description in the document indicates the project will allow for a “strategic repositioning of an underutilized asset into a signature academic hub for nursing education, research and innovation.”

The project will also provide a critical link with the academic health campus and provide an opportunity to create a flexible, simulation-rich environment that better supports nursing education, interprofessional collaboration and student success.

At its Feb. 24 meeting, the UC Board of Trustees approved $8 million for the design and preconstruction phase of the Holmes Hospital Renovation  — College of Nursing Relocation. 

The design and preconstruction work will allow preparation of designs and cost estimates. This project will address existing building modernization, systems replacement, envelope improvements, and exterior site changes.

View the full Fox 19 news segment online.

Top image of a UC nursing student in the College of Nursing Simulation Lab. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand.