Boise State University’s School of Nursing marked its 70th anniversary on Mar. 25, highlighting decades of contributions to community health through creative clinical placements, research partnerships, and global outreach.
The milestone reflects the school’s longstanding commitment to addressing healthcare needs across Idaho and beyond. Over the past seven decades, Boise State nurses have gained experience not only in hospitals but also through inventive community-based learning opportunities.
Faculty members have often needed to find new ways for students to complete their clinical requirements due to limited placement spaces. In the past, this meant organizing experiences at locations such as homeless shelters or behavioral health facilities like State Hospital South in Blackfoot. Kelley Connor, a professor at Boise State, said she developed a simulation scenario that mirrors real-world behavioral health clinicals: “I just got to thinking, ‘How can I recreate this in the sim center?’”
The school has also launched initiatives targeting underserved populations. In 2005, associate professor Sharon Stoffels started the Idaho Hispanic Wellness Initiative: La Buena Salud, bringing preventive care to migrant worker camps with interdisciplinary student teams. Students participated in mobile assessments for groups including Peruvian sheepherders and refugees resettling in Boise.
Many nurse-led support services originated from student projects—such as the Marie Blanchard Friendship Clinic on Latah Street—which now offers basic health services as well as chronic illness management and mental health counseling. Barbara Allerton, who taught between 1993–2013, said teamwork among students led to lasting change: “There were so many creative people that had great ideas,” Allerton said.
Research has played a key role too; faculty joint appointments with local hospitals Saint Alphonsus and St. Luke’s enabled collaborative efforts like pressure ulcer prevention programs. Professor Lucy Zhao currently holds such an appointment at St. Luke’s where she mentors both students and practicing nurses on research projects focused on patient care quality. Laura Tivis of St. Luke’s nurse scientist apprenticeship program praised Zhao’s work: “Dr. Zhao’s research provides invaluable insights and implications into how nurses and other healthcare professionals can positively impact quality of care.”
Internationally, faculty have fostered relationships with institutions like Hangzhou Normal University in China while offering study abroad opportunities for students in countries including Belize, Ireland, Croatia and the Netherlands—broadening perspectives on nursing practice worldwide.
