HCA Healthcare has committed $4.8 million to Pepperdine University to help launch its new School of Nursing within the College of Health Sciences, marking a significant investment to expand the nursing workforce amid ongoing nationwide shortages.
The contribution represents the latest in a series of educational and workforce development initiatives from the Nashville-based healthcare system as it continues to build long-term infrastructure for training future nursing professionals.
Pepperdine’s School of Nursing opened earlier this fall and currently enrolls 68 students across undergraduate and graduate programs, including the Bachelor of Science in Nursing and the Entry Level Master of Science Clinical Nurse Leader track. Applications for Fall 2026 are now open, and students will receive hands-on clinical experience through rotations at HCA Healthcare’s Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, California.
The university’s new 30,000-square-foot nursing facility on its Calabasas campus features high-fidelity manikins, advanced simulation labs, and immersive learning environments designed to replicate real clinical settings. HCA Healthcare’s gift will support the development of this facility and strengthen the school’s training capabilities as enrollment scales.
HCA Healthcare continues to expand programs that address nursing shortages and create new educational pathways. Following its 2020 purchase of Galen College of Nursing, the college has grown to 25 campuses with more than 19,000 enrolled students, including 4,000 HCA Healthcare employees. The organization also launched a $34.5 million expansion of the Research College of Nursing in Kansas City in 2023, which includes the construction of a Center for Clinical Advancement. Additionally, through the HCA Healthcare Foundation’s Healthier Tomorrow Fund, the company awarded $250,000 in grants to institutions, including Miami Dade College and Pensacola State College, to provide high school students with early exposure to careers in healthcare.
HCA Healthcare, founded in 1968, now operates 191 hospitals and approximately 2,500 ambulatory care sites across 20 states and the United Kingdom. Pepperdine University, founded in 1937, enrolls about 10,300 students across its liberal arts college and four graduate schools, offering academic programs rooted in Christian values and community service.
KEY QUOTES:
“We believe that investing in nursing education is vital to the future of healthcare. It is a privilege to support Pepperdine University’s new School of Nursing as they prepare the next generation of caregivers with the tools, confidence and compassion to care for patients and communities.”
Sammie Mosier, Senior Vice President and Chief Nurse Executive, HCA Healthcare
“Through this collaboration, our students will learn how to care for patients in their daily work and how to serve people with their whole lives. We believe this movement will bear fruit in our local communities and across the nation.”
Dee Anna Smith, Chair, Pepperdine Board of Regents
