UMass Amherst Expands Nursing Programs to Serve Western Massachusetts

UMass Amherst is expanding its nursing program, adding roughly 100 new seats in response to persistent healthcare staffing shortages across western Massachusetts and the Pioneer Valley.

The expansion comes after years of lobbying from regional hospital systems, including Baystate Health in Springfield, which have struggled to fill nursing positions in a part of the state with fewer training programs than the Boston metro area. University officials said the new seats will be phased in over the next three admissions cycles.

"Western Massachusetts has had a healthcare workforce problem building for years, and it's not going to fix itself if the training programs stay the same size," said the dean of UMass Amherst's College of Nursing. "Students who train near where they eventually want to work are far more likely to stay in that community."

The university is also opening a new clinical simulation center on campus, featuring updated mannequin-based training equipment that allows nursing students to practice emergency scenarios without needing a live clinical placement for every exercise. The $7 million simulation center is funded through a mix of state capital funds and a donation from a regional health system.

UMass Amherst officials said they expect the expanded program to graduate its first larger cohorts within four years, with a goal of keeping the majority of graduates working within the Pioneer Valley rather than relocating to Boston after graduation.