Findings from the Annual Sur vey of Schools of Nursing, Academic Year 2011-2012

Abstract

This year's NLN Annual Survey of Schools of Nursing finds the nation's nursing education capacity expanding and some of the long-standing unmet demand for seats in nursing schools beginning to subside. Waiting lists for entry into nursing programs were persistently long throughout the late aughts, with both national statistics and news reports and anecdotes from around the country describing a widespread lack of capacity in nursing education programs. From 2009 to 2011, the percentage of nursing programs that turned away qualified applicants was peaking across all types of nursing education programs, with shortage levels most acute among programs that prepare students for initial licensure. In 2011, 43 percent and 48 percent of master's and doctoral programs, respectively, rejected qualified applicants. More dramatically, well over 80 percent of programs offering practical nursing and associate degrees were forced to turn away qualified candidates, as did almost two thirds of baccalaureate programs. Current Data Show Some Reduction in the Acuity of Capacity Shortages The number of pre-licensure RN programs grew throughout the mid-aughts, peaking at a growth rate of 10 percent in 2006. Although growth then slowed to just 1 to 2 percent per year, admissions statistics indicate that capacity shortages have begun to ease. In 2012, the percentage of programs that turned away qualified applicants dropped substantially for every program type with the exception of those offering the baccalaureate degree. Moreover, as a measure of volume, the percentage of all qualified applications rejected by programs also declined, almost across the board. With some states considering the requirement of a baccalaureate degree for RN practice, only RN-to-BSN programs maintained their 2011 seating shortage levels. And, in another indication that nursing education capacity has grown to meet demand, the percentage of programs that could not fill all available seats for new students also fell in 2012. In a new analysis conducted this year, the NLN examined capacity shortage indicators by the urban-rural location of nursing programs. About two thirds of PN and associate degree programs are located in urban centers (64 percent and 67 percent, respectively), in contrast to 80 to 90 percent of baccalaureate and higher degree programs. Approximately one in five PN and ADN programs are located in large rural areas, with 10 percent in small rural locations. Although one might expect metropolitan-based programs to benefit from their proximity to dense population centers, in actuality, urban programs experienced student vacancy rates that were similar to their more rural counterparts. Moreover, among urban-based diploma and RN-to-BSN programs, the percentage of programs that could not fill all available spots for admission was notably higher than in programs located in less dense population centers. (See Figure 1.) Shortage of Clinical Placement Settings Increasingly Crimps PN and ADN Program Expansion Deans and directors of schools providing programs that did not accept all eligible applicants were asked to identify the primary obstacle to expanding their program's capacity. Since 2010, the percentage of those directing ADN and PN programs who cited a shortage of clinical sites as the primary impediment to expansion has steadily increased. For PN programs in particular, the percentage jumped to 52 percent in 2012, a 10 percent rise over 2011 levels. By contrast, graduate programs consistently cite a lack of faculty as the primary obstacle to expansion. However, the percentage of all types of programs citing a faculty shortage has declined since peaking in 2009. Age of Associate Degree Students Rises Last year saw a substantial increase in the percentage of associate degree students who were over 30 years old--an unexpected finding given that adult students typically leave school and return to the labor market as recessions ebb, reducing the overall age of the college student population. …