The modern healthcare landscape is undergoing a quiet revolution, driven by nurse practitioners (NPs) who are leveraging collaborative practice agreements and a desire for clinical autonomy to launch their own practices. Nursing schools traditionally train students to be clinical experts, but the modern healthcare landscape requires NPs to be operational leaders as well. While there are over 1,700 nursing programs in the U.S., the integration of business education remains rare.
While 120 programs offer formal business pathways for nurses, they are almost exclusively offered at the graduate level as dual MSN/MBA programs. For the average nursing student already facing high tuition, the added financial and time constraints of pursuing another degree are significant barriers to opening their own practice. And yet, to ensure the long-term success of the next generation of NPs, these business courses are necessary. The solution? Integrating these courses into the standard undergraduate nursing education curriculum.
The new reality of nursing education financing
The Department of Education (DOE) recently sparked controversy by announcing several federal loan rule changes that significantly impact nursing and other healthcare degrees. The DOE’s final rule excludes graduate nursing programs from the “professional degree” category, thereby lowering the annual borrowing cap on federal loans and eliminating access to the Grad PLUS program. Because advanced healthcare programs can cost up to $50K more than a business degree, the lowered borrowing cap creates an even greater financial burden and forces many students to seek higher-interest private loans. This will be a major deterrent for students and future NPs who dream of owning their own practice.
However, following aggressive legal challenges from twenty-five states and healthcare groups, a federal judge blocked the restrictions. In compliance with the court order, the DOE has issued a temporary rule expanding the “professional” designation to 29 healthcare degree programs, restoring access to higher borrowing limits. While this judicial block marks a critical short-term victory, these legal battles highlight a broader, systemic issue – the financial squeeze on medical education is forcing the industry to treat healthcare as a business driven by economic realities. Until a permanent resolution is reached, NP and PA students must navigate an unpredictable funding landscape, which could create a long-term bottleneck and potentially lock them out of starting their own practices. Preparing the next generation of healthcare providers requires a fundamental shift in how the industry approaches medical education.
How business education shapes future healthcare leaders
While patient care and clinical excellence remain the top priorities for healthcare professionals, navigating today’s medical landscape requires understanding the economic reality: facilities must maintain financial viability to sustain and deliver high-quality care.
To prepare for this reality, business education in nursing needs to start at the undergraduate level. To put this into perspective, healthcare administration roles are expected to grow by 28% by 2031, making it increasingly common to pursue an MBA alongside a nursing degree. However, for younger students hoping to work in nursing administration or leadership, getting a business education during undergrad is a leg up for the future.
Alongside this being a student-driven initiative, universities and nursing schools need to require a specific set of business courses within their programs. For instance, Hawai’i Pacific University (HPU) has embraced nursing students’ requests by incorporating business-practice principles into its degree programs. Undergraduate nursing programs can integrate business courses into the curriculum by creating specialized concentrations, replacing traditional electives with targeted courses such as healthcare economics and budgeting, and using case-study methods. This comprehensive education can prepare nursing students for resource management, independent practice and modern healthcare leadership.
Additionally, universities can modernize programs by creating healthcare-specific business electives such as operations management and financing, healthcare entrepreneurship, or healthcare reimbursement and policy. For students looking toward future independent practice or administrative and entrepreneurial paths, universities can establish interdisciplinary pathways in which business prerequisites serve “double duty” to satisfy general education requirements without extending graduation timelines. By framing business literacy as an essential component of clinical education, nursing schools can develop leaders who understand both bedside manner and the bottom line.
Business literacy powers NP autonomy, clinical governance, and strategic operations
Integrating business education into nursing school shifts students’ perspective, moving them from seeing themselves merely as clinical operators to strategic healthcare leaders.
For students planning to seek clinical independence, business literacy bridges the gap between patient care and running a successful practice. An undergraduate business curriculum can provide foundational training in practice management, medical billing, and regulatory compliance, while teaching future entrepreneurs how to draft business plans, estimate project overhead expenses, and manage cash flow to ensure private practices survive the realities of the healthcare industry.
Business training directly strengthens a nurse’s role in clinical governance and strategic operational management. By understanding concepts such as lean operations and risk management, NPs can participate in independent clinic management alongside a collaborating physician, ensuring their private practice remains financially stable while delivering high-quality care. At a higher level, this education equips nurses with the financial literacy needed to manage capital budgets, analyze market demand, and balance labor productivity with staff burnout. Ultimately, while clinical training teaches nurses how to care for patients within a system, business education empowers them to design, protect, and scale the system.
The future of nursing lies in a powerful blend of clinical skills and business knowledge. New graduates entering the field will find themselves in a healthcare system that increasingly values both. By embracing the business side of nursing, future NPs can enhance their career prospects, drive innovation, and significantly impact patient outcomes on a broader scale.
Image: krisanapong detraphiphat, Getty Images
Octavia “Tavi” Schlueter, MSN, RN, CPNP, PMHS, is a dual-certified pediatric and pediatric mental health nurse practitioner and serves as Director of Growth Initiatives at Collaborating Docs, where she helps connect nurse practitioners and physician assistants with collaborating physicians nationwide.
Tavi earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia and her Bachelor’s and Master’s of Science in Nursing from Virginia Commonwealth University, graduating summa cum laude and earning induction into Sigma Theta Tau and Phi Kappa Phi honor societies. Before joining Collaborating Docs, Tavi worked in pediatrics and pediatric mental health, serving as a Lead Nurse Practitioner in an inpatient setting. In addition to providing care for patients with complex medical and psychiatric needs, she mentored nurse practitioners, led quality improvement initiatives, and served as President of the hospital’s Medical Executive Committee.
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