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The Nursing Student's Guide to Kansas City, MO Education and Careers

By C.J. Gustafson, Nursing Schools.com Contributing Writer

The Lewis and Clark expedition passed through the Kansas City region in 1804 as it followed the Missouri River north. Their reports helped open the area to settlement, and in 1821 Francois Chouteau, a trader of French descent from St. Louis, established a trading post on the Missouri River -- the first non-Indian settlement in the area. Named for the Kansa Indians who inhabited the area, the Town of Kansas was incorporated and chartered by the county in 1850. The town was incorporated by the state in 1853, and the name was changed to the City of Kansas. In 1889, the area officially became known as Kansas City.

A City On The Move
Transportation has long played a role in Kansas City's economy, beginning in the mid 1800s when Kansas City was a major starting point for pioneers heading West along the Oregon, California, and Santa Fe trails. The Hannibal Bridge across the Missouri River opened in the summer of 1869, bringing the railroad to Kansas City. Union Station opened to the public in 1914. Its 400-by-800-foot Grand Hall and its North Waiting Room, which measured longer than a football field, helped welcome thousands of new residents to the city.

Over the next several decades, Kansas City grew by leaps and bounds, due in large part to annexation of surrounding communities. Today the city has a population of over 440,000 residents and covers 318 square miles. The metro area straddles the Missouri-Kansas state line and includes more than 176 cities and 15 counties, and is home to 1.8 million people.

An Exciting Place To Live
Kit Smith, RN, Ph.D is Associate Dean for Scholarship and Community Partnerships at the University of Missouri - Kansas City, School of Nursing. She gave this description of the Kansas City area: "The beauty of the city ('the City of Fountains') and the hospitality of its citizens make Kansas City a wonderful place to live. Known for its famous barbecue, Starlight summer theater, and ardent sports fans, it is also a city of culture (arts and music). The Plaza maintains it tradition for fine dining and shopping, along with newcomers Town Center Plaza and Zona Rosa. Revitalization of downtown is well underway with the growth of lofts and the new Power and Light District. Kansas City is an exciting place to live!"

The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce adds, "If you're not familiar with our metro area, what you'll find may surprise you -- a vibrant city and flourishing suburban communities, rolling hills and tree-lined boulevards, a thriving economy driven both by thousands of small businesses and headquarters companies like Hallmark and Sprint."

Home To Hundreds of Hospitals & Clinics
There are also nearly 20 hospitals in the Kansas City metro area. Along with hundreds of smaller clinics, nursing homes, pharmaceutical companies and other related businesses, they provide over 100,000 jobs in the healthcare and social services fields.

Health Midwest health care and St. Luke's-Shawnee Mission Health Systems each employ over 5,000 people. Children's Mercy Hospital, Truman Medical Center, and nearby Kansas University Medical Center (KUMC) all provide jobs for more than 1,000 employees each.

Twice The Training Facilities
As the name indicates, KUMC is affiliated with that university, which is located on the other side of the river in Kansas City, Kansas. The two Kansas Cities, combined with the surrounding metropolitan area, offer over ten 4-year colleges and universities and a half dozen 2-year colleges.

The University of Missouri-Kansas City, School of Nursing mentioned above provides a Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN-to-BSN) program for those who are registered nurses. They also offer a pre-licensure bachelor of science in nursing degree for those who are not registered nurses.

Colorado Technical University

Students at these institutions can delve into a variety of different nursing specialties such as Critical Care Nursing, Hospice Care Nursing, Forensic Nursing, Midwifery, and Nursing Informatics. They can prepare for a career as a Nurse Practitioner, Legal Nurse, or Registered Nurse (RN). Those with an interest in management positions can train to become a health care administrator.

If you enjoy a little jazz and barbeque on a riverboat casino, strolling along wide boulevards lined with beautiful fountains, or shopping at open-air markets filled with fresh fruits and veggies, flowers, food vendors and other popular wares, then the Kansas City area lifestyle is perfect for you. There are also dozens of accredited schools to help you prepare for a career in nursing or a related field.

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