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Thirty University of Portland nursing students are selected annually for the Providence Scholars Program. In return, they agree to work full time for three years for the Providence system in Oregon.

The program started in the 2002-03 academic year, according to the Oregonian. It is one of several efforts developed in the past eight years by a coalition of educators, health systems, and professional organizations to increase the number of nurses and nursing educators in Oregon.

In that time, enrollment has more than doubled in nursing programs at community colleges and private and public universities, said Kristine Campbell, the executive director of the Oregon Center for Nursing.

The nonprofit center was created in 2001 by the coalition, the Oregon Nursing Leadership Council, with a succinct mission: Provide the leadership to solve the nursing shortage in Oregon.