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According
to the results of the annual survey released today by the
American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), enrollments
in entry-level baccalaureate programs in nursing increased
by 8 percent in fall 2002 over last year. This increase comes
at a time when the need for nurses with baccalaureate and
graduate degrees is expanding in the U.S. health care system.
Though this increase signals a shift in enrollment trends,
the number of students in the educational pipeline is still
insufficient to meet the projected demand for a million new
and replacement nurses over the next 10 years.
AACN findings
are based on responses from a total of 578 (84.8 percent)
of the nation’s nursing schools with baccalaureate- and
graduate-degree programs that were surveyed in fall 2002.
The survey found that total enrollment in all nursing programs
leading to the baccalaureate degree was 116,099, up from 106,557
in 2001. By comparison, the total enrollment in 1995, the
year enrollments began to dip, was 127,683 for all baccalaureate
nursing programs.
Enrollment
trends are determined by comparing data from the same schools
reporting in both 2001 and 2002. Data show that nursing school
enrollments are up in all regions of the United States with
the greatest increase realized in the North Atlantic states
where enrollments in entry-level baccalaureate programs rose
by 10.7 percent. Looking at enrollment levels in other regions,
schools in the South were up by 6.7 percent, and schools in
the Midwest and West were up by 8.0 percent.
"Schools
across the country have done an excellent job in responding
to the nursing shortage and getting the word out about career
opportunities in the nursing," said AACN President Kathleen
Ann Long, PhD, RNCS, FAAN. "We are encouraged by the
upswing in enrollments, but understand that we have a long
way to go before we come close to meeting the projected demand
for nurses into the foreseeable future."
Though
enrollments are up at the majority of nursing schools, slightly
more than 30 percent of schools with baccalaureate or higher
degrees in nursing reported no change or declines in enrollments
this year resulting in unfilled seats. Almost 40 percent of
schools with increased enrollments attracted only 20 or fewer
new students this year.
Though
entry-level baccalaureate programs saw increases this year,
programs that enable registered nurses (RN) prepared with
a diploma or associate’s degree to earn a bachelor’s
degree and enhance their skills continue to register declining
enrollments. From 2001 to 2002, enrollments in RN-to-baccalaureate
programs declined 2.1 percent, continuing the downward trend
that began in 1999. The survey also found that enrollments
in master’s degree programs in nursing rose 3.5 percent
with a total population of 33,976 students now enrolled in
programs nationwide.
Enrollments
Rise Despite Many Challenges
Nursing
schools across the country are struggling to find creative
ways to expand student capacity despite many obstacles. A
shortage of nursing faculty, funding cuts, inadequate facilities,
competition for students, and a lack of clinical placement
opportunities are hampering efforts to attract and retain
more students. To overcome these challenges, schools are forming
partnerships with clinical agencies to support mutual needs,
lobbying for continued state and federal monies, retooling
marketing strategies, and stepping up efforts to expand diversity
and recruit new populations into nursing.
To strengthen these efforts, some states including Texas, Pennsylvania,
and Florida have passed new legislation to provide more funding
for nursing schools to expand their programs and accommodate
more students. Faculty shortages are being addressed to a limited
degree through partnerships between schools and health care
facilities that allow their personnel to serve as teachers and
provide clinical support. Schools are also reaching out to career
changers and those impacted by the economic downturn with accelerated
baccalaureate programs that offer the fastest route to becoming
a registered nurse for those already holding a degree in another
field.
Student
Enrollments and the Nursing Shortage
"Though
enrollments are moving in the right direction, we are far
from satisfying the demand for nursing care in this country,"
explained AACN’s Executive Director Geraldine "Polly"
Bednash, PhD, RN, FAAN. "The shortage is having a devastating
effect right now on our health care system’s ability
to provide safe patient care, and much more must be done to
dramatically expand student capacity at our nation’s
nursing colleges and universities." The most recent projections
from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that one
million new and replacement nurses will be needed by the year
2010.
In 2002,
many national reports attempted to quantify the nursing shortage
and explain the threat this problem poses to health care delivery.
According to a report released by the Health Resources and
Services Administration within the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services in July 2002, the number of states with
a shortage of registered nurses is expected to grow from 30
states in 2000 to 44 states in 2020. Surveys and studies published
this year in the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal
of the American Medical Association, and by the Joint Commission
of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations all confirm that
the shortage of registered nurses is impacting the delivery
of health care in the U.S and negatively affecting patient
outcomes. The shortage is expected to intensify over the next
decade as baby boomers age and a large percentage of the current
nursing workforce retires.
"Though
the task facing nursing education is daunting, we must rise
to the occasion in the interest of patients we serve,"
added Dr. Long. "Nursing must join with stakeholders
within the health care community to find solutions to the
faculty shortage, lobby collectively for resources to expand
student capacity and improve infrastructures, create career
ladders for nurses as a retention mechanism, and reach out
to diverse students." AACN will lead the effort to advocate
for legislation that benefits nursing education, seek appropriations
for the newly created Nurse Reinvestment Act, share best practices,
innovations and opportunities with the full body of nursing
schools, and form collaborations to seek solutions to the
nursing shortage.
About
the AACN Survey
AACN’s
22nd Annual Survey of Institutions with Baccalaureate and
Higher Degree Nursing Programs is conducted each year by the
association’s Research Center. Information from the survey
forms the basis for the nation's premier database on trends
in enrollments and graduations, student and faculty demographics,
and faculty and deans' salaries.
Please note: Above photo courtesy of John
A. Hartford Foundation |
