A special permit for the nursing school, which will be run by Medical City Healthcare, was approved unanimously by Richardson City Council during a March 27 meeting. The Richardson campus, which is expected to be Galen’s fourth college in Texas, was first discussed for the city at a March 7 City Plan Commission meeting.
The 41,000-square-foot campus will be located at 1301 W. President George Bush Hwy. and is projected to have a maximum enrollment of 1,000 students. However, the Richardson campus is expected to have a maximum of 300 students in person at one time because students are expected to be off-site at clinical rotations and taking online courses.
As part of the terms of the special permit, the campus will have 381 available parking spaces specifically for the university. Galen officials said the new campus will feature advanced patient simulation labs and classroom environments to encourage hands-on, practice-based learning.
Richardson is home to two nursing colleges: West Coast University and the Chicago School of Nursing. Despite the crowded market, Galen officials said the need for nurses necessitates having another college.
“This region of Texas is projected to be at a shortage of 14,000 nurses,” BHDP architect Kevin Denman said at the March 27 meeting. “This is a really good solution to the problem of providing nurses, and [Galen is] doing this strategically across the country and across Texas.”
According to a 2021 survey, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 203,200 average annual openings for registered nurses over the next 10 years with employment projected to grow 6%.
The college already began offering a three-year Bachelor of Science in nursing program that begins online. Galen will also start offering three additional programs at the Richardson campus starting in the 2023-24 school year: an associate degree in nursing program, a licensed vocational nurse to an associate degree bridge option and a vocational nursing program.
Those interested in attending the school can start enrolling now on Galen’s website at www.galencollege.edu.
