Northeastern University and Orbis Education Partner to Tackle Nursing Shortage

INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Northeastern University, a global,
experiential research institution, has teamed up with Orbis Education to help
Northeastern’s Bouve College School of Nursing expand its baccalaureate and
masters degree programs nationwide. Orbis Education will provide online
learning, marketing, and operational support for the Northeastern degree
offerings.

This innovative collaboration will incorporate online learning and traditional
hospital-based clinical experience for adult students in selected markets
throughout the United States. Boston-based Northeastern plans to expand all of
its programs, including an RN-to-BSN program, baccalaureate program (BSN), as
well as several graduate-level programs. One particular area of focus will be on
nurse practitioner (NP) programs. Graduates from NP programs are highly sought,
and new health care reforms will make the demand even greater.

“We are very pleased to work with a prestigious partner like Northeastern,” said
Daniel Briggs, Chief Executive Officer of Orbis Education. “Expanding the
capacity of Northeastern’s undergraduate and graduate degree programs will
continue our corporate goal of alleviating the real nursing shortage that our
nation faces. This collaboration allows us to continue to provide highly
skilled, well-qualified, registered nurses that are sought after by employers.”

Orbis Education is an industry-leading provider of collaborative education
solutions, providing everything necessary to assist colleges and universities in
the expansion their nursing education programs. Orbis will use its expertise in
online technology, instructional design, project management, marketing, and
implementation to enable the Northeastern University Bouve College School of
Nursing to attract career-changers and individuals wanting to work as a
healthcare professional.

According to the Institute of Medicine’s 2010 report, The Future of Nursing, the
role of nursing is changing, and the demand for nurses prepared at the
baccalaureate and graduate level should increase to 80%. Despite significant job
loss in nearly every industry, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more
than 280,000 new jobs have been added to the health care sector in the last
year. And, despite changes brought about by the economic downturn, the current
nursing shortage is more than twice as large as any nursing shortage the United
States has ever experienced, with more than 250,000 new nurses needed in the
next decade.

Recognizing the severe shortage, the Northeastern and Orbis Education
partnership demonstrates a growing trend. Increasingly, nursing schools are
expanding capacity through partnerships that allow the schools to focus on
quality outcomes while allowing a partner to focus on scaling the programs.

Pending necessary regulatory approvals, Northeastern intends to begin expanding
its programs in early 2012.

About Northeastern University and the School of Nursing

Founded in 1898, Northeastern University (www.northeastern.edu), ranked No. 4 in
Forbes Magazine as one of “America’s Most Entrepreneurial Campuses”, and known
as a leader in interdisciplinary research, urban engagement, and the integration
of classroom learning with real-world experience, the university is the home of
more than 35 specialized research and education centers and over 125 graduate
level programs that awards masters, doctoral, and professional degrees.
Northeastern’s faculty has garnered international recognition for their
achievements in teaching and research. In 2011, Northeastern received 43,000
undergraduate applications for the fall semester, the largest for any private
university nationally. The Nursing Program was established as a baccalaureate
program within Bouve College of Health Sciences in 1962 and became part of
Northeastern University in 1964. In 1973 the first RN to BSN program was
established.

About Orbis Education

Founded in 2003, Orbis Education is a leading innovator of integrated solutions.
Orbis facilitates alliances with leading nursing schools and healthcare systems
to address local nursing shortages and deliver better quality of care. Orbis
creates, manages, and markets collaborative nursing education solutions that
effectively alleviate registered nurse workforce shortages across the country.
Orbis has already formed strategic partnerships with numerous prestigious
healthcare and academic institutions, such as Sharp HealthCare (www.sharp.com),
Marian University (www.marian.edu), St. Vincent Health (www.stvincent.org),
Roseman University of Health Sciences (www.roseman.edu), previously named
University of Southern Nevada, St. Rose Dominican Hospitals
(www.strosehospitals.org) and Glendale Adventist Medical Center
(www.glendaleadventist.com). Postured for growth, Orbis is on track for
establishing many more new collaborative nursing education partnerships by 2020.
For more information, visit www.orbiseducation.com.

SOURCE Orbis Education