April 3, 2025
NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State University will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the College of Nursing and the 55thanniversary of the School of Allied Health with receptions in Shreveport and Alexandria in May.
A reception for alumni, healthcare and community partners and friends will take place from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 1 at the Shreveport campus, 1800 Line Avenue.
A similar event will take place from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 8 at the Cenla campus, 1410 Neel Kearby Blvd., Alexandria.
NSU’s College of Nursing and School of Allied Health (CONSAH) is the largest producer of registered nurses, nurse practitioners and radiologic technologists in Louisiana with 100 percent job placement across multiple programs. CONSAH currently enrolls more than 2,400 undergraduate and graduate students with instructional sites in Alexandria, Leesville, Natchitoches and Shreveport.
Northwestern State’s nursing program was developed in the 1940s when the Shreveport healthcare community realized the need for a collegiate-based nursing program. Five hospitals agreed to phase out their diploma programs opening the door for Northwestern State to create the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. Seventy-seven students enrolled in the first cohort in the fall of 1949 and enrollment quickly grew. In 1972, the Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) degree and the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degrees were created with the MSN earning accreditation in 1979. Current NCLEX pass rates for BNS an ASN students is near 100 percent.
Noteworthy milestones for the College of Nursing include development of the online RN to BSN program, the paramedic/military medic to RN program, Nurse Practitioner program and the Doctor of Nursing Practice. The Nurse Anesthesia program and the baccalaureate program in sonography are the only such programs north of I-10.
As nursing degree offerings expanded, NSU implemented the Bachelor of Science in Radiologic Technology, now the Radiologic Sciences degree program, in 1968. As that program’s degree offerings increased, the School of Allied Health (SAH) was created and joined the College of Nursing in 1994. The School of Allied Health offers a Master of Science in Radiologic Sciences degree (MSRS), the only MSRS program in Louisiana and one of only a handful in the nation. SAH also houses the Bachelor of Applied Science in Allied Health, the first applied science degree in Louisiana, post-baccalaureate certificate programs in cardiovascular intervention and MRI and last year received approval for a Master of Science in Allied Health
The need for nurses and allied health professionals is at an all-time high. CONSAH has pursued grants to expand nursing and allied health pathways and prioritizes external partnership and funding sources. In 2022, NSU was awarded a significant grant to expand the programs that make it easier for paramedics, military medics and people with undergraduate science degrees to transition into nursing jobs and address the shrinking healthcare workforce in northwest and central Louisiana. NSU is partnering with nearly a dozen other healthcare organizations in the region to add more than 1,000 nurses to the workforce by 2032. Grants have also funded faculty positions, LPN to RN cohorts, Nurse Anesthesia Traineeships in rural and medically underserved areas and a new concentration in the Associate of Science in Nursing titled Allied Health to Associate of Science in Nursing (AH to ASN).
“CONSAH faculty are interprofessional collaborators committed to developing graduates who are resilient critical thinkers, compassionate and empathetic caregivers and healthcare professionals who demonstrate flexibility in handling challenges,” said Dr. Aimee Badeaux, interim dean of the College of Nursing and School of Allied Health. “Faculty constantly strive to promote student success as well as their own academic pursuits, research, grant exploration and professional development.”
Information on degree programs offered through NSU’s College of Nursing and School of Allied Health is available at https://www.nsula.edu/nursing/.
For more information on the May 1 anniversary celebration in Shreveport, contact Renee Downey at downeyr@nsula.edu. For more information on the May 8 anniversary celebration in Alexandria, contact Alicia Book at booka@nsula.edu.
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Leah Jackson (jacksonl@nsula.edu)
Director of Public Information and Media Relations
Northwestern State University
(318) 357-4553
