5 Ways Universities Can Alleviate the Nursing Education Shortage

• The American Association of Colleges of Nursing reported the beginning of a nursing education shortage, finding in a recent study that the number of students enrolling in baccalaureate degree-completion, master’s, and PhD programs has decreased. 
• Universities, nursing schools, and healthcare institutions are taking steps that leaders hope will address not only decreases in nursing education enrollment but also the workforce shortage.
• This is happening through tuition-free programs, expanding programs across state lines, and other means.

While the active nursing workforce aims to address its shortage, the educational pipeline isn’t faring much better, according to recently released data.

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing study, “2023-2024 Enrollment and Graduations in Baccalaureate and Graduate Programs in Nursing,” found that the number of students enrolling in baccalaureate degree-completion, master’s, and PhD programs has decreased. 

“Despite facing enrollment challenges, nursing schools are committed to expanding their programs in response to the growing demand for nurses in all settings where health care is delivered,” Dr. Deborah Trautman, AACN President and Chief Executive Officer, said in a news release. “As we consider the needs of the nursing workforce over the next 10 years, more federal and local support is needed to expand pathways into nursing to ensure an adequate supply of clinicians needed to provide primary, preventative, and specialty care to an increasingly diverse patient population.”

Of note, applications for Doctor of Nursing Practice program dropped nearly 8%, while enrollment changes from 2022-23 in RN to Baccalaureate programs dropped nearly 10%.

But universities, nursing schools, and healthcare institutions are taking steps that leaders hope will address not only decreases in nursing education but also the workforce shortage.

Below are five tactics to tackle nursing education shortages in the industry.  

1. Partnerships and Accelerated Programs

Several universities have joined forces with local health systems and organizations to increase enrollment or enhance their nursing education and clinical programs. 

Oregon Health and Science University’s School of Nursing has partnered with the St. Charles Health System and Central Oregon Community College to establish a third installment of its accelerated nursing program. Dr. Susan Bakewell Sachs, dean of OHSU’s School of Nursing, told KBND Newstalk that the Accelerated Bachelor of Science Program is designed for people who have, at minimum, a bachelor’s degree in another area. They can then earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing in 15 months. The first cohort in Bend, Oregon, will begin in July. The program also is located in Portland, Oregon, and Ashland, Oregon. 

“It is a well-established program,” Bakewell Sachs said, “And we have students who have Bachelor’s Masters, Doctoral degrees, who make the decision to change their career path and come into nursing.”  

In Colorado, HealthOne partnered with Galen College of Nursing to establish a campus in Aurora that will offer a three-year bachelor’s program and two-year associate’s program, according to CBS News. The Aurora program is intended for people switching careers or “who never quite made it through a four-year degree program.” 

The Michigan Primary Care Association and nine state universities now offer students the option of training in Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics. 

Rachel Ruddock, of the MPCA, said in an interview with Second Wave Michigan that the partnership is a chance for students to be exposed to a work environment “they would not receive otherwise.” That exposure, she said, could lead to interest in working on FQHCs or RHCs. 

“Opportunities at health centers and Rural Health Clinics do exist, and they are great opportunities,” Ruddock said. “I don’t think many students know about the opportunities in these as they do about hospitals. This is that opportunity not just to get them there working with the community, but also helping them expand their scope of what nursing could be outside of a hospital system.” 

2. Free Programs

California has created Healthcare Career Pathway, a state-funded nursing assistant program through the organization Empowered Aging. It is available at Fox Home Health in Santa Rosa, California.   

The program is geared toward nursing assistants in long-term care facilities, according to a Press-Democrat report, and offers free tuition, equipment, and supplies; food and transportation; and employment and childcare assistance.

Since the program’s inception, “interest has skyrocketed” at Fox Home Health, according to the Press Democrat. Empowered Aging received a $5 million grant from the California Department of Health Care Access and Information to establish the program throughout the state.  

3. Expanding Programs Across State Lines

One Utah university continues to stretch beyond its borders to draw students into its nursing programs.  

Joyce University of Nursing and Health Sciences now offers its hybrid nursing program to Nevada residents – its latest expansion since 2021. The university also offers the hybrid curriculum in Colorado, Arizona, Missouri, and New Mexico, according to a news release.

“Our clinical partnerships across the United States enable us to secure great clinical opportunities for students right where they live, reducing travel costs and strengthening ties to their local communities,” Mykel Winter, Joyce University’s Associate Dean of Nursing, said in the release. “The only time students travel to Utah is for the incredible opportunity to gain hands-on experience in our high-tech, high-touch immersive skills lab, the Joyce Johnson Center of Simulation.” 

4. Legislative Assists

Recently passed legislation in Arizona has allowed the state to establish the Nurse Education Investment Pilot Program. As a result, the Maricopa Community College District can “equitably allocate money among the eight nursing programs” in its system, according to MCC Chancellor Dr. Steven Gonzales.

The college district will be able to hire 26 faculty and support staff; expand and renovate classrooms; and purchase supplies and lab equipment, he said. 

“It’s clear that the future of our health care system depends on having more skilled professionals enter the market,” Gonzales said. “As Arizona’s top provider of workforce training, Maricopa County Community College District is a pipeline for the nursing profession.” 

He said he anticipated the system will produce more than 5,000 nursing gradates “at all levels.” 

“The Nurse Education Investment Pilot Program is undoubtedly a step in the right direction; however, more innovative solutions are needed to mitigate the burden on Arizona’s strained health care system,” Gonzales said. “It is crucial to the future of Arizona’s healthcare system to have enough skilled nursing professionals for many years to come.”  

Actions like this are in line with the American Nurses Association’s legislative priorities, which include expanding the nursing workforce pipeline.  

5. Establishing New Programs

Other universities have opted to create new programs to recruit students to the nursing industry. West Virginia University Medicine Center for Nursing Education, for example, will soon offer a 21-month program that prepares students for licensure tests. 

“We want to remove all of the barriers for folks to do that,” WVU Medicine President and CEO Albert Wright said on MetroNews “Talkline.” “Cover all the tuition and all of the books, so we really try to increase the number of people who maybe never thought about going into health care or maybe never thought about getting a health care-related degree.” 

The program will focus on clinical practice rather than “non-clinical academic course work,” Wright said. 

The Bottom Line

Both the nursing workforce and the nursing education system have hurdles to overcome if they want to buck projected trends and eliminate shortages across the board. Clinical, educational, and legislative leaders are setting forth plans to do just that. While results won’t be seen overnight, it will be important to continue tracking enrollment and employment statistics to determine the effectiveness of the aforementioned strategies. 

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