Kearney Expansion
For the first time, UNMC will educate physicians, pharmacists and public health professionals in rural Nebraska, through a joint project with the University of Nebraska at Kearney that also will expand UNMC's allied health and nursing programs.
As part of this plan to increase the rural health care workforce, the Douglas A. Kristensen Rural Health Education Complex also will offer professional development, training and continuing education opportunities for existing health care workers and support research that improves the lives of Nebraskans.
Pharmacy and expanded Nursing and Allied Health Professions programs will begin in fall 2025, while the first cohort of medical students will begin in fall 2026. At full implementation, total enrollment at UNMC-Kearney will be nearly 800 learners, with more than 600 on campus.
The Need
Nebraska’s rural communities face an increasingly severe crisis in maintaining access to health care for their residents.
of Nebraska’s 93 counties do not have a primary care physician.
of practicing physicians plan to retire within the next 10 years.
of Nebraska's 93 counties have no mental health providers.
Cutting-Edge Space for Transformative Training
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Douglas A. Kristensen Rural Health Education Complex
A public-private partnership, the $95 million facility received support from numerous sources, including $60 million in federal American Rescue Plan funds – approved by the Nebraska Legislature and signed by former Gov. Pete Ricketts – for capital construction and iEXCEL technology startup costs, plus sustainable operational funds to support faculty and staff.
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Modern, Flexible Classrooms
Construction began in September 2022, and occupancy of the building expected in early 2026, with state-of-the-art classrooms, extensive simulation and clinical skills laboratories for pre-clinical education and complex clinical scenarios and simulated primary care spaces.
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Simulation and Clinical Skills Labs
Students will have access to extensive simulation and clinical skills laboratories for pre-clinical education and complex clinical scenarios and simulated primary care spaces.
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Space for Collaboration
Collaboration spaces and an open design will provide an optimum environment for small groups and interaction. Once the new facility opens and the campus is fully operational, more than 600 health professions students will train on the campus each year.
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Open, Modern Design
The new facility will be three stories tall and occupy 110,000 square feet, providing space for training physicians, pharmacists and public health professionals, as well as expanding the presence of allied health and nursing programs.
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Interprofessional Opportunities
The project builds on a highly successful partnership between UNK and UNMC and will enhance opportunities for interprofessional interaction in a modern, cutting-edge environment. At the Health Science Education Complex that opened in 2015 on UNK's west campus, more than 300 UNMC students already are pursuing degrees in such programs as cardiovascular interventional technology, diagnostic medical sonography, magnetic resonance imaging, medical laboratory science, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician assistant and radiography.