Learn skills at the forefront of healthcare
A career in nursing offers the opportunity to combine scientific knowledge with caring. Nursing is a career that is personally fulfilling, financially rewarding and at the heart of healthcare. Nurses make up the largest healthcare profession nationwide, with the need for nurses continuing to grow. A dynamic and challenging profession with flexible schedules and diverse practice options, nursing offers a meaningful career with the opportunity to promote and improve health for individuals, communities and populations.
*Walla Walla University School of Nursing and most of our clinical partners require proof of immunizations. In the interest of public safety, this includes the COVID-19 immunization series, which continues to be highly recommended. Alternatively, at some clinical partner locations, a student may submit a COVID-19 declination form based upon a qualifying sincerely held religious belief or disability. All students must adhere to the clinical site’s requirements designed to minimize COVID-19 transmission. If a clinical site requires the COVID-19 vaccine, then unvaccinated students will not be permitted to participate in that clinical partner’s program and the student’s preferred clinical rotation may therefore be affected.
- A faith-based perspective on patient care.
- Engaging and clinically experienced faculty.
- Small class sizes with more opportunity for faculty and peer to peer interactions
- 800-1000 hours of clinical experience outside the classroom. Clinical experiences take place in a variety of acute care and community health settings.
- Global and cross-cultural nursing experience opportunities.
- Focus on holistic care.
- NCLEX-RN preparation course included in the curriculum.
- Strong foundation and preparation for graduate education.
Program Completion Rate
| Year of graduation | Nursing graduation rate |
|---|---|
| Class of 2018 | 89.0% |
| Class of 2019 | 95.0% |
| Class of 2020 | 85.5% |
| Class of 2021 | 84.7% |
NCLEX Pass Rate
Our graduates pass the NCLEX-RN exam at the following rates:
| Year of graduation | WWU NCLEX-RN pass rate | Number of graduates | National pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class of 2018 | 96.4% | 56 | 88.29% |
| Class of 2019 | 93.10% | 58 | 88.18% |
| Class of 2020 | 91.18% | 68 | 86.57% |
| Class of 2021 | 93.54% | 62 | 82.48% |
Job Placement Rate
The majority of our nursing graduates are employed as RNs within 9-12 months of graduation:
| Year of graduation | Job placement rate |
|---|---|
| Class of 2017 | 96.9% |
| Class of 2018 | 96.9% |
| Class of 2019 | 94.82% |
| Class of 2020 | 94.2% |
| Class of 2021 | 98.39% |
"Excellent clinical sites and practicum opportunities, excellent professors, and academic staff. A major strength of the WWU nursing program was the amount of research we did for papers. Knowing how to do a literature search and follow APA format, from the research class at WWU has helped me tremendously in the graduate classes I am starting to take here at Loma Linda University."
"WWU gave me many clinical opportunities in various hospitals. I felt as a whole I was able to see and experience more as a student which allowed me to draw from those experiences as a practicing RN. WWU nursing program prepared and gave me the tools I needed to successfully pass the NCLEX by testing my knowledge and showing me the weaker areas that I needed to focus a little more on. I am forever grateful for the WWU nursing program staff members who helped make me the nurse I am today and gave me the drive to continue to expand my knowledge and anticipate my patients and their families needs."
"I was taught to be very patient-focused. The curriculum and the teachers emphasize compassion, integrity, and holistic patient care. The curriculum and the teachers are all very focused on evidence-based practice, I know how to interpret studies and assess evidence to determine best nursing practice. The NCLEX prep was suburb. Wonderful supportive community. The teachers were compassionate and kind and the learning environment was positive and fun. The nursing teachers always took time to remember God, both through obvious things like prayer and less obvious things like small kindnesses."
"I appreciated that we had a lot of clinic and community exposure in addition to acute care settings. Dedicated faculty professors and clinical instructors. I received tremendous support from the faculty. Solid introduction to nursing research and how it can guide one's practice. Confidence in taking the NCLEX and securing a job. I felt the program prepared me extremely well for resume writing and interviewing. Integrating spirituality into one's nursing practice, and learning to adapt one's practice to the diverse beliefs of our patients."
"Your graduate as been with us one year. I have seen her strive to make our unit a safer, patient-centered organization since we started working together. She is driven and passionate about improving the care we provide to our patients, and many of the patients come from challenging backgrounds (IV drug users, alcohol withdrawal, high co-morbidities). Since she started with our team, her coworkers elected her to be the next Charge Nurse for the units because they recognized her leadership abilities, teamwork, and her calm presence during chaos. She also started on our Unit Base Council to help with Quality Improvement projects, and provided excellent research on the use of monitor-techs to monitor multiple safety-risk patients via video in order to reduce the cost and use of patient safety attendants. We are really proud to have her on the team, and appreciate the preparation that you provided for her."
"He has demonstrated excellent nursing judgement skill and compassion. He is an absolute asset to our hospice team. Moving from a per diem nurse to a nursing supervisor in a short 1 1/2 years. He is truly excellent!"
"She was a welcome asset to our unit. She presented as confident and enthusiastic about nursing. She has been eager to expand her knowledge and skills in psychiatric nursing. She is kind and caring with a group of tough behavioral patients."
"Your graduate is a very pleasant soft spoken new grad RN. She provides quality nursing care to a diverse population, serving our rural critical access hospital. As her supervisor I find it comforting knowing that when she is on duty her patients are safe and well cared for. She asks appropriate questions and is eager to learn."
Nursing is a physically and mentally demanding profession. Listed here are essential functions determined to be necessary for success in nursing. Prospective students must be able to perform and/or develop the following core performance standards/essential functions in order to succeed at Walla Walla University School of Nursing.
| Requirement | Standards | Examples |
|---|---|---|
Cognitive abilities | Cognitive ability for effective problem-solving skills that are crucial to practice as a nurse |
|
Critical thinking | Critical thinking ability for effective clinical reasoning and judgment consistent with level of education |
|
Behavioral and Social | Compassion, integrity, motivation, effective interpersonal skills and concern for others |
|
Professional Relationships | Interpersonal skills sufficient for professional interactions with a diverse population of individuals, families and groups |
|
Communication | Communication adeptness sufficient for verbal and written professional interactions |
|
Mobility & Gross Motor Function | Physical abilities sufficient for movement from room to room and in small spaces |
|
Fine Motor skills | Gross and fine motor abilities sufficient for providing safe, effective nursing care |
|
Hearing | Auditory ability sufficient for monitoring and assessing health needs |
|
Visual | Visual ability sufficient for observation and assessment necessary inpatient care |
|
Tactile Sense | Tactile ability sufficient for physical assessment |
|
Olfactory Sense | Sense of smell sufficient for safety |
|
Student life is an important component of Walla Walla University School of Nursing. Get involved and enhance your academic experience and build your professional network during your time here at Walla Walla University School of Nursing by joining one of our student organizations.
School of Nursing Student Handbook.
Nursing Club (College Place)
The purpose of the Nursing Club is to build fellowship within the School of Nursing, identify with the nursing profession, foster educational, spiritual and social activities related to the nursing profession. The Nursing Club is open to all freshman and sophomore nursing majors.
Past events include:
- Service days
- Study clubs
- Friday night vespers
- Professional colloquiums
- BBQ’s and picnics
- Movie nights
- Soup nights
- Ice cream socials
ASWWU Nursing (Portland)
The Portland campus chapter of the Associated Students of Walla Walla University (ASWWU) is an active student club on the Portland campus. The Portland campus officers work with the College Place campus officers on joint projects such as the student pictorial directory (The Mask), newspaper (The Collegian) and yearbook (The Mountain Ash). Portland ASWWU activities and events sponsored by ASWWU are open to all registered students and sometimes their families. Past Portland ASWWU events have included:
- Portland Trailblazer/Timber games
- BBQ/Picnics/Lunches
- Movie nights
- Feeding the Homeless
WWU School of Nursing Honor Society
Junior and Senior nursing students who have GPAs in their nursing coursework that places them in the top 33 percent of their classes are invited to be part of the WWU School of Nursing Honor Society. The society organizes two major events each year—the School of Nursing Job Fair that facilitates connections between potential employers and WWU nursing students, and an annual Red Cross Blood Drive.
Additionally, the society organizes smaller fundraisers to raise money for local charities. Charities supported in the past include: the Ronald McDonald House, the Portland Food Bank, and the Portland Rescue Mission.
Being part of the WWU School of Nursing Honor Society demonstrates to potential employers and graduate school admission committees that a student has achieved academic excellence.
Our campuses
Our students typically begin their education in the School of Nursing on the College Place campus in Washington state. After one year of general courses and one year in the nursing program, students transition to the Portland campus in Oregon where they complete the last two years of their degree.
College Place campus
The main campus of Walla Walla University is located in the town of College Place, located in southeastern Washington State, adjacent to the city of Walla Walla.
This is the main campus where beginning freshmen take general education and nursing pre-requisite courses, and, upon acceptance into the nursing program, take the sophomore level nursing courses and nursing cognate courses.
The School of Nursing (offices, lobby, classrooms and clinical skills lab) is located on the 2nd floor of the Winter Education Complex (the WEC), situated on the corner of SW Fourth Street and SW Davis Avenue in College Place.
At the end of the sophomore year, nursing students transfer to the Portland campus to continue their studies.
Portland campus
All junior- and senior-level nursing courses are taught on the Portland campus, located on the east side of Portland, Oregon, adjacent to Adventist Health Portland.
The campus is comprised of two main buildings:
- a nursing education building
- a residence hall
The nursing education building, located at 10345 SE Market Street, Portland, OR 97216, has faculty offices, classrooms, a nursing skills lab, and a library with a computer lab.
The residence hall (Hansen Hall) has rooms for men and women in separate areas. Additionally, residents have use of a TV room, and exercise room, and a small kitchen. Large bathrooms are located at the end of the hallways. There are about 65 junior and 65 senior nursing students. Of these, approximately 50 are residents.