[brian]

As the local health care industry faces a looming nursing shortage for the second time in as many decades, area nursing programs say they are having to turn away dozens of well-qualified students.



Some nursing programs such as Wichita State University are responding to the increased demand by hiring more instructors and increasing the number of students they take each semester.



Others want to expand but can't because of a lack of funding, faculty or both.



Nursing school administrators and health care providers say they are entering an unprecedented time when the number of elderly people is growing and will continue to grow. That will cause an even greater need for health care services and the nurses who deliver them.



"Pretty soon the demand is going to far, far exceed the supply," says Judy Stroot, vice president of nursing at Via Christi Regional Medical Center-St. Francis.

Full Story: http://wichita.bizjournals.com/bizwo...ory_id=1178323

[Jessy_RN]

It's all boils down to the funding like everything else

[Valerette]

This is true in my area as well. Not dozens, but hundreds are being turned away--about 400 people applied for admission to the nursing program I'm enrolled in this fall, and about 60 were admitted. The number of applicants is doubled from what it was a few years ago, and many of the faculty in the program are nearing retirement age. Obviously more money needs to be channeled in to faculty recruitment and incentives for nurses to pursue the degrees necessary to become faculty, like loan reimbursement. Unfortunately it seems like my state just keeps throwing money at programs that promise to turn out nurses in 18 months, without addressing the much more important problem of lack of faculty.

[RNWannaBe724]

NHTI-Where I would be going to, they are building a new nursing wing and stuff.. im psyched...... hopefully they hire more faculty to go along with it..
:hatparty:

[land64shark]

I'm #11 on the alternate list at my school for January, but the admissions coordinator told me that they may be adding 24 more seats.:hatparty: I doubt he would tell me that if it weren't just about a done deal. He had told me last summer at an information meeting that the school was looking for a bigger facility for Health Sciences. He said they have the funding to expand programs, they just didn't have the space.

[NickiLaughs]

I wish they would "expand" out here. I got my LVN, because that's the only way to get into an RN program in a reasonable amount of time, they give you credit for a year of nursing school. Most of the schools out here do a "lottery" now. Half are taken with the highest GPA (usually a 4.0) the other half are chosen by luck of the draw. The college I go to had like 360 qualified applicants, and only 60 seats this semester.

[HeartsOpenWide]

Originally Posted by Future_RN_Jess

It's all boils down to the funding like everything else

And how funding needs to be evenly distributed throughout all departments in the school... if they could expand the nursing program at my school the school would bring in a lot of money. But the nursing department gets as much as the art department that teaches basket weaving......

[bluemerle]

Originally Posted by NickiLaughs

I wish they would "expand" out here. I got my LVN, because that's the only way to get into an RN program in a reasonable amount of time, they give you credit for a year of nursing school. Most of the schools out here do a "lottery" now. Half are taken with the highest GPA (usually a 4.0) the other half are chosen by luck of the draw. The college I go to had like 360 qualified applicants, and only 60 seats this semester.

Which school is that, if you don't mind me asking. The reason I ask is because it sounds like a school that I am trying to complete my pre reqs at before I can apply to the program and I was also wondering if going the LVN route then on to the RN program later would give me a better chance in getting in.

Melody

[KrisRNwannabe]

My local community college accepts 120 students per year and the waitlist is up to 936!! eek. No wonder the baker college in the area had approximately 700 applicants for 35 spots. I don't think anything under a 4.0 got you in. It seems simple about hiring more instructors and getting more spots but you also have to have spots in the hospital for them. I went college in the next county north, and they only have 2 major hospitals and 2 minors in the area. my college has 60 stundents in the RN, 30 in a part-time RN and 50 LPN students plus there are 2 other colleges in the area. the hospitals were overwhelmed with students. some students were going to have to drive 50 miles one way to clinical in another county but they worked something out. plus if they don't have good pass rates it is hard to get extra spots.

[lindarn]

Originally Posted by JulieSN

This is true in my area as well. Not dozens, but hundreds are being turned away--about 400 people applied for admission to the nursing program I'm enrolled in this fall, and about 60 were admitted. The number of applicants is doubled from what it was a few years ago, and many of the faculty in the program are nearing retirement age. Obviously more money needs to be channeled in to faculty recruitment and incentives for nurses to pursue the degrees necessary to become faculty, like loan reimbursement. Unfortunately it seems like my state just keeps throwing money at programs that promise to turn out nurses in 18 months, without addressing the much more important problem of lack of faculty.

How about paying nursing instructors more, to attract more grad students to chools teaching, instead of other more lucrative career paths. If the colleges can fund high profile football teams, they can pay nursing instructors more. JMHO, and $0.02.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN
Spokane, Washington