Central Oregon will soon be home to another nursing education program with the launch of Sumner College’s Bend campus.

Classes will begin in February and the branch campus, located in west Bend, is expected to open its offices before the end of the year.

Sumner College, a private, for-profit nursing school based in Portland, decided to open a new campus in Bend due to the recent growth in Deschutes County and the shortage of healthcare workers in the region.

Joanna Russell, the college’s president, said the new campus has been in the works for five years.

Sumner College opened its Portland campus in 2009, and it currently has several nursing programs. The college is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

The Bend campus leased a building near the Old Mill District for the college, which is currently undergoing renovations and permitting. At just under 8,000 square feet, it will have lecture-style classrooms, skills labs, study space for students and more.

The Bend campus’s program is for a bachelor of science degree in nursing. The main draw is that the program doesn’t have prerequisites, said Russell. Students can complete the program in less than three years, in part because classes continue during the summer.

The college has rolling admission, so cohorts may begin classes at several different times of the year, including February and May.

In February, 24 students will start, Russell said. Otherwise, the cohorts will range from 16 to 24 students depending on the date classes begin.

Many students complete coursework at other schools, and are able to transfer up to 46 credits—or up to 25% of the program—to their time at Sumner College.

The college also schedules all classes for students, including for clinical rotations. Clinical rotations include working in community health, long-term care, sub-acute care, acute care and mental health. The college has over 25 partner sites in the Bend area where students may perform clinical rotations, including Touchmark, a senior living community. The first cohort will not begin clinical rotations until fall or winter 2025, Russell said.

The program has a hybrid schedule, so classes are on campus and on Zoom. Classes are also asynchronous, meaning students and teachers can engage with the class materials at different times.

Sumner College’s bachelor of science in nursing program is approved by the Oregon State Board of Nursing, accredited by The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools and the U.S. Department of Education. The college is also approved by the Higher Education Coordinating Commission.

Space in Central Oregon for several programs

Julie Downing, an instructional dean at Central Oregon Community College who oversees health careers and nursing, said she doesn’t see the two schools as being in competition with one another.

“There will be four nursing programs offered in Bend (including Sumner College),” said Downing. “There are all different, they all have a place.”

COCC has an associate of applied science in nursing degree, which is a registered nursing program, with a practical nursing certificate embedded in the RN program. It is building a registered nurse-to-bachelor of science in nursing program, for students who already have their associate degree, but want their bachelor’s in nursing for career advancement.

This past summer, COCC partnered with Oregon Health & Science University to offer an accelerated bachelor’s of science in nursing program in Bend, which uses COCC’s facilities. This is for students who have a bachelor’s degree in something other than nursing. They enter a 15-month program to earn their registered nurse license.

“I do believe there’s room for all these programs in Bend, as we are growing,” said Downing.

She added that one concern is finding placement in clinical rotations for Sumner College students. She said St. Charles Health System is already working with students from OSHU and COCC and that space is limited.

The Sumner College Bend campus has a ribbon cutting ceremony scheduled for January with the Bend Chamber of Commerce. Classes begin Feb. 24.

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