Various mission trips to Jamaica and throughout the U.S. nudged McKinsey Heiser into nursing.

The junior nursing major applied for North Dakota State’s nursing program in spring 2014 and was one of 49 people accepted after submitting a lengthy application including information questions, references, a resume and background check.

Nursing program applications are due Wednesday, and according to Carla Gross, NDSU’s School of Nursing chair, 180 students have applied for the pre-licensure and nursing programs in Fargo and Bismarck as of Thursday.

“We receive the most applicants the Bachelor’s of Science in nursing programs,” Gross said, but “there are so many different areas and directions you can take with nursing,” Heiser said.

Nursing is NDSU’s most enrolled major since 2010, Registration & Records found last fall, with 864.

Gross said NDSU’s School of Nursing offers multiple programs, “which include bachelors of science degree in nursing, licensed practical nurse to bachelors of science degree in nursing and doctor of nursing practice/family nurse practitioner.”

Acceptance rates range greatly, Gross added, “from more than 80 percent for some programs to just over 40 percent for graduate programs and approximately 60 percent for the bachelor’s degree program.”

Applicant numbers can be high, such as 50 students vying for the doctor of nursing practice with 10 slots in Fargo and five in Bismarck, Gross said.

At the base of programs’ applications is the students’ personal statements, which Heiser said is all about experiences.

“(It) relates to your resume and how your experiences influenced your decision to pursue a degree in nursing and developed your potential to be a leader,” she said.

The application process can “take as little or as long as you want, depending on how much time you want to put into your personal statement,” Heiser added. “… the main thing is making sure you have all of the requirements needed to apply.”

Nursing programs vary in length of study too, Gross said, from pre-nursing lasting one to one and a half years to the doctor of nursing practice program lasting three years.

Retention rates range from 95 to 100 percent for nursing programs too, Gross said.

Nursing studies will also take to online “with an online blended registered nurse to Bachelor’s of Science in nursing … program that begins in fall 2016,” Gross said, with the program open to full-time students and working professionals.

For Heiser, nursing has been and is a rewarding vocation that developed her passion and love for helping others.

“Being able to help someone smile and help in their healing process will be so rewarding,” she said.