Page 8 The Skanner CAREERS EDITION June 7, 2017
(BSN) degree program and the new ABSN program.
Concordia graduates pass the national licensure
exam at a rate of 91.67 percent, well above the national
average pass rate of 83.7 percent, and higher than any
other private university in Oregon. 
Oregon is the fourth highest paying state for reg-
istered nurses, with an average salary for BSN and
ABSN-educated RNs of $83,800, according to the Unit-
ed States Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to re-
cent labor trend reports, health care is leading the job
growth and, within the sector, nurses are in highest
demand.  
According to the Oregon Employment Department,
Oregon is the eighth fastest expanding job market in
the nation and health care leads the way. Portland’s
health care sector is strong and growing, with the de-
mand for nurses higher than ever, in part due to the
rapidly aging baby boomer population, as well as re-
cently expanded access to care under health care re-
form. According to recent labor trend reports, health
care is leading the growth and, within the sector,
nurses are in highest demand.  
To learn more visit accleratednursing.cu-portland.
edu or call 1-866-892-5321.
AG Rosenblum’s Student Debt Bill
Passes out of Oregon House, Moves
to Governor’s Desk
The Oregon House today passed the Attorney Gen-
eral’s bill designed to help Oregon’s students and
their families better understand their education
PHOTO COURTESY OF STATE OF OREGON
CAREERS
Briefs cont’d from pg 7
related debt obliga-
tions. The proposed
legislation, Senate
Bill 253, would re-
quire Oregon col-
leges and universi-
ties to send students
annual, easy-to-un-
derstand letters ex-
plaining the scope of
their federal educa-
tional debt. The bill
already passed the
Senate unanimously
and will now move to
The Oregon House has passed the Governor’s desk.
Under the pro-
Attorney General Ellen Ronsblum’s bill
posed
legislation,
designed to help Oregon’s students
every student who
better understand student debt.
receives a federal
educational loan will annually receive an estimate of
the total amount of federal loans the student has tak-
en out, and the total potential payoff amount over the
life of the loan. Students will also receive an estimat-
ed monthly payment applicable after graduation.
In 2015, roughly 63 percent of students graduating
from Oregon’s colleges and universities had educa-
tion related debt, averaging $26,000.
Similar laws passed in other states have had promis-
ing results. Indiana University saw a roughly 16 per-
cent reduction in student borrowing, which account-
ed for $44 million in debt savings, when they started
sending annual student debt letters during the 2012-
2013 academic year. Since then, Nebraska, Wisconsin,
and Washington have passed similar legislation.
Unemployment Rates Hit Record
Lows in 3 States
WASHINGTON (AP) — Solid hiring nationwide led
unemployment rates to touch record lows in three
U.S. states last month.
Unemployment rates declined in 10 states in April,
increased in one — Massachusetts — and held rela-
tively stable in the other 39, the Labor Department
said Friday. A significant number of the job gains
occurred in nine states, led by Texas, Minnesota and
Wisconsin. Indiana was the only state to see a signifi-
cant decrease in jobs last month.
Arkansas, Colorado and Oregon reported the low-
est unemployment rates since 1976. Colorado’s rate,
at 2.3 percent, was the nation’s lowest.
Those states’ jobless rates fell because more resi-
dents found work. In some cases, the rate falls when
those out of work stop looking and are no longer
counted as unemployed.
All told, 19 states had unemployment rates lower
than the national average of 4.4 percent. Hawaii, New
Hampshire, North Dakota and South Dakota each had
jobless rates below 3 percent. The highest unemploy-
ment rate was New Mexico at 6.7 percent, while Alas-
ka had the second highest at 6.6 percent.
Nevada, Hawaii and North Dakota enjoyed the
stronger percentage job gains last month, while In-
diana experienced a loss of 11,300 jobs, or a decline
of 0.4 percent. Across the country, employers added
211,000 jobs in March.
Hiring has averaged 174,000 jobs in the past three
months, close to last year’s pace. The unemployment
rate has tumbled to 4.4 percent from 4.8 percent in
January.