A new program invites career changers to answer God’s call to serve. Concordia University Ann Arbor has launched a new Direct Entry Master of Science in Nursing (DE-MSN) program to help you make your move — and make it meaningful.
Nursing isn’t just a profession — it’s a calling. Nurses provide skill, compassion and clarity in intense moments, without hesitation. They are needed today more than ever. Imagine encountering one of the following moments in which a nurse can make all the difference:
- A family member lies intubated, fighting to breathe, and a kind nurse becomes your source of comfort and clarity.
- A father takes his final breath, and a nurse is there to hold his hand — or the hand of the loved one holding his — assuring, “We will get through this together.”
- A newborn opens its eyes and cries for the first time, as a nurse reassures nervous parents that all is fine and beautiful.
Future nurses, you are needed now more than ever. If you feel God leading you toward this calling, consider Concordia. With your bachelor’s degree already completed — in any field — our master’s program could be your next step toward becoming a master’s-prepared nurse.
You are the mortar
Amid a national nursing shortage, CUAA is offering a direct-entry nursing program designed to guide career changers into the field with confidence.
According to the Michigan Health & Hospital Association, Michigan hospitals are currently seeking to hire 8,438 nurses. CUAA’s 64-credit DE-MSN program can be completed in 22 or 34 months, and includes advanced theory, hands-on labs and supervised clinical rotations.
Jessica Leiberg, PhD, dean of the Ronald and Marvel Jones School of Nursing, began her nursing career in the ICU.
“I loved it!” Leiberg said. “It’s incredibly demanding but rewarding. You become the connection between the providers, the patients and their families. I always say providers are the bricks, but nurses are the mortar that holds everything together.”
Holding everything together when everything seems to be falling apart — that’s what nurses do best.
Make your move
If you feel called to serve and seek deeper purpose, consider CUAA’s DE-MSN program.
“Nursing allows me to be part of a wholesome, all-encompassing connection … I’m able to empathize with each patient’s case, offering them compassionate and quality care.”
Nursing student Erin Jackson has a long, endearing history with CUAA that goes back to her childhood. She remembers walking along the sidewalks, exchanging friendly smiles with students, staff and faculty while her sister attended pre-college classes. When her sister later enrolled in the nursing program — and with the mission of the campus inspiring her — Jackson followed in her footsteps.
“Something CUAA’s mission is modest about is that it extends not only to students but also to families, friends and visitors — a unified mission of being a community ‘committed to helping students develop in mind, body and spirit for service to Christ in the Church and the world,’” Jackson said.
Called from a young age, Jackson’s empathy, compassion and desire to support people through difficult moments led her to nursing. She will graduate in May 2027 and hopes to work with babies and families, guiding them through this life-changing experience of welcoming the world’s newest little patients.
She’s on the right track — but what about someone who’s still on the fence?
Make it impactful
For career changers especially, those feeling disconnected from their values or unfulfilled in their current jobs may find this shift particularly impactful. “Nursing offers both stability and meaning,” Leiberg said. “It gives you the chance to make a tangible difference in people’s lives.”
Nursing is also flexible, allowing you to move between specialties or settings — from ICU to pediatrics to public health. “There’s room to grow, learn and find your niche,” she said.
Maybe it’s time for you to put your beliefs into action. Nursing is service-based work that emphasizes caring for others, healing the sick and offering comfort and support.
“You’re living your faith through your work every day,” she said.
For more information on the program, check out “Concordia University Responds to Nursing Shortage with New DE-MSN Program for Career Changers.”
Want in?
CUAA offers flexible programs, faith-integrated learning, and a community that truly cares, you can become the kind of nurse the world needs. Explore our DE-MSN program today and discover how CUW can help you lead with compassion and purpose.
Click here to view a full list of the programs.