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Enrollment
Increases at U.S. Nursing Schools Are Moderating While Thousands
of Qualified Students Are Turned Away
More than 25,000 Applications
Denied Due to Faculty and Resource Constraints
Read
Enrollment Success Stories and Challenges to Future Growth
WASHINGTON, D.C., December 15, 2004 - The American
Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) announced today
that enrollment in entry-level baccalaureate programs in nursing
increased by 10.6 percent in 2004 over the previous year.
Though this increase is welcome, nursing colleges and universities
denied 26,340 qualified applications this year due primarily
to a shortage of nurse educators. With the government projecting
a shortfall of 800,000 nurses by the year 2020, AACN is concerned
that too few nurses are entering the workforce given the growing
demand for nursing care.
"Nursing schools nationwide are struggling
to expand student capacity in response to the nursing shortage,
and their success is showing," said AACN President Jean
E. Bartels. "Though we are pleased to see an enrollment
increase, we are still very concerned that access to quality
healthcare may be compromised since nursing schools are not
graduating enough nurses educated at the baccalaureate and
graduate levels to stabilize the workforce."
AACN's preliminary survey data is based on
the same 459 schools reporting in both 2003 and 2004. This
year's 10.6 percent enrollment increase means that 10,596
new students are now enrolled in entry-level baccalaureate
nursing programs. Based on data supplied by 498 schools, a
total of 112,081 students are enrolled in these nursing programs.
This is the fourth consecutive year of enrollment increases
with 16.6, 8.1, and 3.7 percent increases in 2003, 2002, and
2001, respectively. Prior to the recent upswing, baccalaureate
nursing programs experienced a six-year period of declining
enrollments from 1995 through 2000. See
graph of enrollment changes from 1994 to 2004.
The more moderate enrollment increase this
year indicates that some nursing institutions have reached
the limit on how far they can expand without jeopardizing
quality. Even though enrollments are up nationally, almost
20 percent of nursing schools experienced enrollment declines
or no growth in 2004. AACN is concerned that a portion of
the reported enrollment growth may reflect only students'
intention to pursue a nursing degree, rather than an actual
increase in the number of students admitted into the nursing
major. Many freshmen and sophomore students included among
those currently enrolled will face competition for upper level
nursing courses and may switch majors as a last resort. "Nursing
cannot afford to lose bright college students to other professions
given the growing nursing shortage and the need to expand
the pool of future nursing faculty," added Dr. Bartels.
The AACN survey also found that graduations from entry-level
baccalaureate nursing programs were up sharply in 2004 with
a 14 percent increase over 2003. This increase translates
into 27,378 new graduates available for practice in the nursing
workforce. The recent rise in graduations follows 4.3 and
3.2 percent increases in 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. For the first time,
the U.S. Department of Labor has identified Registered Nursing
as the top occupation in terms of job growth through the year
2012. According to the latest projections, more than one million
new and replacement nurses will be needed by 2012. The growing
interest in nursing careers can be attributed in part to outreach
efforts by nursing schools as well as sustained image campaigns
launched by Johnson & Johnson and the Nurses for a Healthier
Tomorrow coalition.
Expanding the Nursing Student Population
Nursing colleges and universities employed
a number of successful strategies to increase student capacity
last year, including forming alliances with practice partners
to identify expert nurses who could serve as faculty and working
collaboratively to overcome classroom and clinical space constraints.
Some schools have expanded their accelerated nursing programs
for second-degree seeking students looking to transition into
nursing while others have taken advantage of state and federal
funding aimed at strengthening the nursing workforce.
Despite this year's enrollment increase, AACN's preliminary
findings show that 26,340 qualified applications to entry-level
baccalaureate programs were not accepted in 2004 based on
responses from 377 schools. 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 worked with Representatives Nita Lowey (D-NY) and Lois
Capps (D-CA) to introduce the Nurse Education, Expansion,
and Development Act of 2004 (H.R. 5234). This legislation
would authorize capitation or formula grants for nursing programs
to hire and support faculty, purchase new equipment, and build
learning labs to expand infrastructure. AACN is working to
reintroduce this legislation next year when the 109th Congress
is installed.
"One of the most effective ways
to accommodate all qualified applicants in nursing programs
is to ensure continuous funding at the local, state and federal
levels," said AACN Executive Director Geraldine "Polly"
Bednash. "AACN has heard many reports about promised
funding never materializing which devastates efforts to increase
student capacity. We are working to ensure that more qualified
students have the opportunity to achieve their goal of becoming
professional nurses."
About the AACN Survey
Now in its 24th 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.
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 2005:
- 2004-2005 Enrollment and Graduations in
Baccalaureate and Graduate Programs in Nursing
- 2004-2005 Salaries of Instructional and
Administrative Nursing Faculty in Baccalaureate and Graduate
Programs in Nursing
- 2004-2005 Salaries of Deans in Baccalaureate
and Graduate Programs in Nursing
Editor's Note:
News media may obtain selected tables from these data reports
by contacting Robert Rosseter at rrosseter@aacn.nche.edu
or 202-463-6930, extension 231. Requests for regional data
and local enrollment success stories are also welcome.
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is
the national voice for university and four-year college education
programs in nursing. Representing 575 member schools of nursing
at public and private institutions nationwide, AACN's educational,
research, governmental advocacy, data collection, publications,
and other programs work to establish quality standards for
bachelor's- and graduate-degree nursing education, assist
deans and directors to implement those standards, influence
the nursing profession to improve health care, and promote
public support of baccalaureate and graduate nursing education,
research, and practice. www.aacn.nche.edu
CONTACT: Robert Rosseter
(202) 463-6930, x231
rrosseter@aacn.nche.edu
Enrollment
Success Stories and Challenges to Future Growth
Below are snapshots of how some four-year colleges
and universities are addressing the strong surge of interest
in nursing careers. Academic leaders also address some of
the opportunities and challenges confronting schools trying
to expand student capacity.
The School of Nursing at Oregon
Health and Science University (OHSU) was able to expand
its enrollment due to a shared vision within the university
that nursing education is extremely important to health of
the State of Oregon. "Without additional federal or state
funding, the OHSU leadership and Board committed to take a
one-time additional cohort of undergraduate students to ease
the local shortage of nurses," said Dr. Kathleen Potempa,
dean of the OHSU School of Nursing. "While we still turn
many qualified students away, OHSU and its School of Nursing
are deeply committed to the critical role nurses play in health
care."
Dr. Silvana Richardson, dean of the School
of Nursing at Viterbo University in
La Crosse, Wisconsin, is "thrilled by the growing interest
in nursing as a viable career. Our program has benefited from
both national and local efforts to recruit people into the
nursing profession." Enrollment growth at this institution
is attributed to outreach to local high schools and middle
schools, collaboration with a neighboring associate degree
nursing program, and the creation of a summer camp for youth
to promote interest in all of the health professions. Dr.
Richardson added that "we would like to increase enrollment
further based on the high demand but are limited by funding
for and availability of qualified faculty as well as by the
short supply of clinical education sites."
To accommodate the larger nursing student population
at Pace University in New York,
administrators used a variety of creative strategies, including
hiring part-time faculty from affiliated agencies to teach
students in clinical settings, reconfiguring the school's
Learning Resource Center to add classroom space, and expanding
the accelerated baccalaureate program to a second location
in New York City. "Pace's accelerated program for adults
with non-nursing degrees has proven to be an effective way
to bring a diverse group of highly educated professionals
into nursing," said dean Harriet Feldman. "We recently
surveyed our new students to learn more about their backgrounds
and found that 39.5 percent are male, 58.1 percent are from
minority backgrounds, ages range from 23-49, and students
were born in 18 different countries. Also, 14 students have
master's degrees, one is a dentist, and one is a doctorally-prepared
physical therapist. We are excited by the rich diversity these
students bring to the nursing profession."
Dr. Feldman added that "the shortage of
nurse educators, particularly those prepared at the doctoral
level, continues to be a major barrier to program expansion.
A second barrier relates to space at the university, and we
are actively seeking additional space to meet our growing
needs. We have outgrown the space for computerized testing
as well as clinical practice."
Launching a new accelerated baccalaureate program
and doubling the size of an existing fast-track master's degree
program for non-nursing college graduates helped boost enrollments
at the University of Miami in
2004. "Our greatest need right now is for state subsidies
to fund scholarships for our nursing students," said
Dr. Nilda Peragallo, dean of School of Nursing. "States
need to step up and provide more financial aid to nursing
students attending private institutions, especially when public
institutions are rejecting qualified applicants due to a lack
of resources."
The impressive enrollment increase at
Arizona State University (ASU) is attributed to the
school's plan to grow its baccalaureate nursing program on
three regional campuses and in partnership with the Mayo Clinic
as well as the move to shorten degree completion times by
switching to a year-round format. "The college designed
an expansion plan that would capitalize on our locations and
geographically distribute baccalaureate program graduates
throughout the state," said Dr. Karen Sousa, interim
dean at ASU's College of Nursing. "We addressed the time
to complete the four-semester nursing major by utilizing the
calendar year and creating a summer semester to enable students
to complete their studies in 16 months rather than 24 months."
When asked about future growth, Dr. Sousa explained that the
high demand for clinical placements from all nursing programs
"is limiting access to these learning centers and presents
a barrier."
Institutions that have increased the nursing
student population face new challenges to further expansion.
At Johns Hopkins University in
Baltimore, the nursing school's physical limitations present
the largest obstacle to addressing the nursing shortage. "Among
the serious barriers we face are the very walls of our building,"
said dean Martha N. Hill. "We need space … space
for more students, space for more faculty, space for more
programs and space for staff to support our faculty and programs.
Our campaign to expand our building is underway, but in the
meantime, we are doubling up in both classrooms and offices."
In Texas, Dramatic Growth
Funds were designated in the Nursing Shortage Reduction Act
of 2001 to support increased enrollments in community colleges,
general academic universities, and health science center schools
of nursing. On average, health science centers in the state
showed the largest increase in enrollments with a 27 percent
increase, while community colleges and academic campuses increased
enrollments by about 23 and 7 percent, respectively.
“We increased enrollments by almost a
third from 200 to about 300 undergraduate student admissions
a year,” said Dr. Robin D. Froman, dean of the University
of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio School of
Nursing. “Unfortunately, we only received 30 percent
of the funding anticipated from the Nursing Shortage Reduction
Act while the community colleges and academic campuses received
100 percent of the expected funding. Though we demonstrated
the ability to increase capacity, we cannot, sustain increased
enrollments without the financial resources to hire faculty
for adequate instructional support for students.”
The nursing program at the University
of Florida turns away 3 or more students for every
space available in the school's upper division baccalaureate
courses. Given this internal competition, many freshmen and
sophomore students are now changing majors in an effort to
complete a degree program in four years. "Many bright
new college students are not even trying to get into nursing
because they have heard that admission into the upper division
courses is so competitive," said Dr. Kathleen Ann Long,
dean of the University of Florida's College of Nursing. "Without
more faculty and clinical placement sites, nursing schools
will not be able to graduate enough students to sustain a
strong nursing workforce."
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