With Enrollments Rising for the 5th Consecutive Year,
U.S. Nursing Schools Turn Away More Than 30,000 Qualified
Applications in 2005
Enrollment
Increase Falls Far Short of Meeting the Projected Demand
for RNs
WASHINGTON, D.C., December 12, 2005 - The
American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) released
preliminary survey data today which show that enrollment
in entry-level baccalaureate nursing programs increased
by 13.0 percent from 2004 to 2005. Though this increase
is welcome, surveyed nursing colleges and universities
denied 32,617 qualified applications due primarily to
a shortage of nurse educators. AACN is very concerned
about the increasing number of qualified students being
turned away from nursing programs each year since the
federal government is projecting a shortfall of 800,000
registered nurses (RNs) by the year 2020.
“With the nation’s health care
system calling for more baccalaureate-prepared nurses
in the workforce, AACN is pleased to see that the trend
toward enrollment increases has continued for the fifth
consecutive year,” said AACN President Jean E. Bartels.
“Despite the successful efforts of schools nationwide
to expand student capacity, our nations nursing schools
are falling far short of meeting the current and projected
demand for RNs.” According to research conducted
by Dr. Peter Buerhaus from Vanderbilt University, enrollments
in nursing programs would have to increase by at least
40 percent annually to replace those nurses expected to
leave the workforce through retirement.
AACN’s annual survey is the only resource
for actual (versus projected) data on enrollment and graduations
reported by the nation’s baccalaureate and graduate
degree programs in nursing. This year’s 13.0 percent
increase in enrollments is based on data supplied by the
same 408 schools reporting in both 2004 and 2005. This
is the fifth consecutive year of enrollment increases
with 14.1, 16.6, 8.1, and 3.7 percent increases in 2004,
2003, 2002, and 2001, respectively. Prior to the five-year
upswing, baccalaureate nursing programs experienced six
years of declining enrollments from 1995 through 2000.
For a graphic depiction of enrollment changes in baccalaureate
nursing programs from 1994-2005, see
http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Media/ppt/94-05EnrChgs.ppt.
The AACN survey also found that the number
of graduates from entry-level baccalaureate programs increased
by 19.1 percent from 2004 to 2005. This data is based
on information supplied by the same 393 schools reporting
for the past two years. The recent rise in graduations
follows 14, 4.3 and 3.2 percent increases in the number
of graduates in 2004, 2003 and 2002, respectively. This
upward trend was preceded by a six-year period of graduation
declines from 1996 through 2001.
AACN’s latest data confirm that interest
in nursing careers continues to grow, which is good news
considering the projected demand for nursing care. Last
year, the U.S. Department of Labor identified Registered
Nursing as the top occupation in terms of job growth through
the year 2012. According to the latest projections from
the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than one million
new and replacement nurses will be needed by 2012.
Given the demands of today’s health
care system, the greatest need in the nursing workforce
is for nurses prepared at the baccalaureate and higher
degree levels. With the federal Health Resources and Services
Administration calling for baccalaureate preparation for
at least two thirds of the nursing workforce, the evidence
clearly shows that higher levels of nursing education
are linked with lower patient mortality rates, fewer errors,
and greater job satisfaction among RNs. Nurse executives,
federal agencies, the military, leading nursing organizations,
health care foundations, magnet hospitals, and minority
nurse advocacy groups all recognize the unique value that
baccalaureate-prepared nurses bring to the practice setting
and their contribution to quality nursing care.
“AACN is committed to working with
the health care community to create a highly educated
nursing workforce able to meet the challenges of contemporary
nursing practice,” added Dr. Bartels. “We strongly
believe that encouraging all nurses to advance their education
is in the best interest of patients and an important step
toward enhancing patient safety.”
The robust interest in professional nursing
can be attributed in part to successful outreach efforts
guided by nursing schools nationwide. Strategies employed
to increase student capacity this year included forming
alliances with hospitals, the business community and other
stakeholders to address faculty and clinical space constraints.
Some schools have expanded or opened new accelerated programs
for second-degree seekers looking to transition into nursing
while others have taken advantage of state and federal
funding aimed at strengthening the nursing workforce.
In addition to these school-based initiatives, both Johnson
& Johnson and the Nurses for a Healthier Tomorrow
coalition continued their national media campaigns to
encourage careers in nursing.
Qualified Students Turned Away Despite
Nursing Shortage
Though interest in nursing careers is strong,
access to professional nursing education is becoming more
difficult. AACN’s preliminary findings show that
32,617 qualified applications to entry-level baccalaureate
programs were not accepted in 2005 based on responses
from 432 schools. The number of qualified students turned
away each year from these programs continues to increase
with 29,425, 15,944 and 3,600 students turned award in
2004, 2003 and 2002, respectively. The primary barriers
to accepting all qualified students at nursing colleges
and universities continue to be insufficient faculty,
clinical placement sites, and classroom space.
To address these issues, AACN has focused
its advocacy efforts on increasing funding for existing
Nursing Workforce Development programs administered by
the federal Division of Nursing and shaping new legislation
to support faculty development and enrollment growth.
Earlier this year, AACN secured a new funding stream for
doctoral nursing education through the Department of Education’s
Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN)
program, which will help to address the faculty shortage.
AACN successfully lobbied to have nursing identified as
an area of national need for the first time through the
GAANN program.
Further, AACN has worked with colleagues
in the health care community to introduce new legislation
to address the faculty shortage and other nursing school
resource constraints, including the Nurse Education, Expansion
and Development Act and the Nurse Faculty Education Act.
Without increased federal support, the potential for future
growth in nursing education programs may be limited at
a time when the demand for well-educated nurses is rising.
“To stabilize the nursing workforce,
the federal government and other stakeholders must focus
on increasing nursing school enrollments at the baccalaureate
level,” said AACN Executive Director Geraldine “Polly”
Bednash. “Besides adding to the RN workforce, graduates
of baccalaureate nursing programs are much more likely
to pursue graduate education and achieve the credentials
needed to serve as nurse educators. Efforts to address
the nursing shortage will fail unless decisive action
is taken to resolve the underlying shortage of nurse faculty.”
About the AACN Survey
Now in its 25th year, AACN’s Annual
Survey of Institutions with Baccalaureate and Higher Degree
Nursing Programs is conducted each year by the association’s
Data and 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. AACN
data reflects actual counts reported in fall 2005 by nursing
schools, not projections or estimates based on past reporting.
The annual AACN survey is a collaborative
effort with data on nurse practitioner programs collected
jointly with the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner
Faculties and data on clinical nurse specialist programs
collected with the National Association of Clinical Nurse
Specialists. Complete survey results are compiled in three
separate reports, which will be available in February
2006:
