Utah has roughly 1,400 nurses per 100,000 residents, one of the lowest rates in the country, according to a 2025 National Council of State Boards of Nursing dataset cited by the Salt Lake Tribune. Nursing students at Chamberlain University's new Sandy campus will try to help close that gap with two AI certificates bundled into their degrees at no extra cost.

The campus at 9490 S. 300 W., accessible to Millcreek residents via the TRAX Blue Line, is Chamberlain's first location in Utah and its 26th nationwide across 17 states. The first class in the three-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing program begins Monday, Oct. 26.

Marla De Jong, dean of the University of Utah College of Nursing, told the Deseret News in March that new facilities opening across Utah will drive fresh demand for nurses. "We have to start educating for that now, because if we don't stay ahead of that, then we will be back into a deficit," De Jong said.

The AI certificates, built through a collaboration with Google Cloud, are two separate credentials. AI Fundamentals (valued at $599 for non-enrolled students) covers core AI concepts. AI for Nursing Professionals ($749) is delivered as two self-paced micro-courses totaling about 10 hours and covers generative AI, ethical and legal considerations, and hands-on application to documentation, decision support and clinical efficiency. The nursing certificate is accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center and carries 10 contact hours. Both are included for enrolled students at no extra cost, according to the university.

Those who complete will earn a shareable digital credential verified through Google Cloud that can be added to a resume or LinkedIn profile.

That credential may carry weight in hiring. A Covista/Gallup survey found 73% of healthcare executives say they actively look for AI proficiency when hiring clinicians. Covista is Chamberlain's parent company, so the finding is industry-sourced rather than independent.

Chamberlain says the goal is not to turn nurses into technologists but to make sure graduates walking into clinical settings that use AI-assisted tools can understand and critically evaluate the output. The university says healthcare systems are adopting such tools faster than the workforce is being trained on them.

"By the time students graduate and sit for their licensing exam, they'll have the knowledge and training that patient care demands," Trevor Scott, executive campus director for Chamberlain Salt Lake City, said in a July 20 announcement.

The direct-entry BSN program requires no prerequisites and offers evening and weekend scheduling with six start dates per year. Students train on realistic patient simulators at Chamberlain's SIMCARE Center and complete clinical rotations with partners including DaVita and Odyssey House of Utah. The program runs about $100,000 at full cost; a comparable degree at the University of Utah costs about $44,000 at sticker price, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.

Applications are open with no application fee at chamberlain.edu/saltlakecity.