The nursing profession is one of the oldest professions, if not the oldest right after education. Nursing education is not new to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Decades ago, it began in nursing institutes in Riyadh and Jeddah. Interest in this profession continued to grow to enhance nursing care and encourage enrollment in this profession. Tabuk seized this opportunity in nursing education and went through several stages, starting with the establishment of a health institute in Tabuk after the intermediate level under the management of health institutes and colleges. It was opened during the reign of King Fahd in 1990 AD. Following that, the health institute in Tabuk was transformed into a health college in 2006 AD. Finally, the supervision of the health college shifted from the Ministry of Health to the Ministry of Education under the management of the University of Tabuk as a department in the College of Applied Medical Sciences from 2008 to 2023 AD.
The nursing profession received special support and sponsorship from the Crown Prince, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as the Crown Prince's Nursing Program was adopted as a focus by our wise government. To support the advancement of the nursing profession and meet the needs of the labor market, the University of Tabuk established the College of Nursing in Tabuk by the decision of the President of the university. The nursing department in the College of Applied Medical Sciences was restructured into the College of Nursing on 8/10/2023 AD, after the approval of the University Council for the transformation of the nursing department into a nursing college with four departments: Medical-Surgical Nursing Department, Maternity and Pediatrics Nursing Department, Community and Mental Health Nursing Department, and Nursing Education and Administration Department.
This will significantly contribute to increasing the number of graduates and providing sufficient personnel to cover the needs of the health sector, enhancing healthcare delivery, and meeting the requirements of the National Transformation Program to achieve Vision 2030. Tabuk is a rapidly growing, vital area with growing population numbers and increasing health facilities, such as hospitals and health centers, especially since it is a strategic and promising area for many development projects such as NEOM, the Red Sea Project, and AMAALA. Therefore, the presence of the Nursing College will align with the kingdom's objectives of Vision 2030, by providing a sufficient number of qualified nurses to address the scarcity in this vital profession, and will contribute to overcoming current challenges. The Nursing College at the University of Tabuk is the first nursing college in the Tabuk region.
