How to fix the nursing shortage?

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I'm writing a proposal on reasons/ways to increase the limited program here at the technical college I attend. With the nursing shortage that the country is facing and continues to face, I was thinking that accepting more students each fall/spring might help alleviate some of the problem. Now of course I do not mean taking in just anyone. There are usually hundreds (600-800) or more people applying for 80 spots. It's also been shown that out of those applying many more than the acceptance number are qualified, but there isn't enough space/availability. Can any of you enlighten me as to how much it may take for a school to add more instructors/class space to a program. I've also been thinking of ways that the local hospitals might be able to contribute. I have contacted the shcool and gotten a bit of information, but am curious to see your thoughts on this idea. Thanks in advance for any advice/help.

Specializes in Telemetry.
I wanted to address this seperately. :)

'Qualified' candidates for nursing school in my program had at least a 2.5 GPA, and could have repeated core classes multiple times. I understand that if you received a 'D' in A&P2, then took it again and got a B, your grade was changed to a C. This does not reflect the D on your transcripts.

My nursing school was at a community college. There was no candidate interview, no competition based on GPA, essay, or interview....no competition except whether you turned in your application on Monday or Friday. ;)

Candidates for medical school are screened much more thoroughly than nursing school candidates. We have heard debate on the field of Nursing and whether it should be considered a 'job' or a 'profession'. If we want to BE a profession, we should consider more carefully what qualities we want in our nursing school candidates.

Many nursing programs start with 100 students each semester and end with 50. I am glad that we do not generally let anyone slide through school. but I wonder if our current nursing school spaces could be utilized more effectively if we made entry into our programs more competitive. I am talking about the Community College level here; I know that BSN candidates sometimes have more competition.

There will be people who disagree with me on this one. I know that perfectly good 'C' students get through nursing school and become great nurses. A Nurse Manager on a floor where I had clinicals said, "I would rather have a C student with common sense than an A student with great transcipts and no clue."

I would rather have an "A" or "B" student with common sense ;) .

Lots of people go on to a different profession while they are on a 3 year waiting list for a spot in nursing school. Let's make nursing school more accessible to the people who can learn the material and apply it.

I totally agree! I'm a wanna be Nursing student who has not been accepted to a program... yet. I'm a CNA, also studying to be an EMT right now and just want to keep myself working in the right direction. My grades in my nursing pre-reqs as a returning student are great, however my overall GPA is only a 2.7 (can't shake those younger years)!

Unfortunately, I'm finding out that this may make it really difficult for me to get accepted. I have the passion, drive and desire to be a great nurse someday.:heartbeat In a profession with so much heart involved, it's unbelievable to me that interviews are not conducted and only numbers on paper count. This may also contribute to why some licenced RNs are not actually working the floors. Great students are smart and nursing is a "smart profession" to get in to. I don't think that carries one very far in the long run. When reality sets in, some people with great grades and all are just not cut out for the profession. "B" students are smart too and they also may stop to question things and themself once in a while, which is a good quality to have! :wink2:

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Why would anyone in their right mind, sit around and wait two or three years to get into a program for a profession that many of you have said is not all it's cracked up to be. When, with grades like mine they can go into a more lucrative field like pharmacy? I really want to be a nurse, but I tell you one thing When I talk to other, younger, smarter students around me, they all say the same thing.:confused:

You make a good point about strong students being discouraged, for several reasons, from pursuing nursing.

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Then onto the floor for orientation with the preceptors, who do not get reimbursed for teaching us and being bombarded with a ton of questions every day and get somewhat bitter if they have to show/tell us more than once. Who also have to carry the same patient load as those who are not precepting, which leads to some bitterness which the new nurse is subjected to, in whatever form the preceptor expresses it.:banghead: .... As I overheard one nurse say, "Well sometimes you just have to jump right in. That's what I had to do". :bow: .... please get all of us some help! Not just us new nurses, but the regular staff. I can't call MD's with critical labs, take new orders, make sure everyone's paper work is properly signed befor a procedure, deal with unrealistic patients who want to leave AMA, get discharge papers ready, arrange for transportation, hang IV's and blood all before noon :bugeyes:. Lower the staff ratios, these nurses are overworked.... if there are no changes, no I won't be staying. Over the road truck driving is starting to look pretty interesting.

You point out many good reasons there's such a high turnover in bedside nursing and how simply graduating more nurses won't ease the "nursing shortage" if short staffing & workload issues aren't improved.

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I'm willing to bet that one of the reasons that you were able to take care of so many pts back then is because mgmt actually expected you to focus on pt care, not on "customer service" and not on paper-work/computer documentation.

Some might argue that, back then, the patients were far less sick, the interventions far fewer, and the technology much less developed.

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Specializes in Ortho, Case Management, blabla.
Some might argue that, back then, the patients were far less sick, the interventions far fewer, and the technology much less developed.

I agree with this argument, personally.

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Like the others have said-most nurses don't want to put up with the bull....more respect, better patient ratios, better hours, better pay would all be great things......but I have seen a lot of my fellow graduates (been a nurse 5 years) hop to office jobs for the hours and benefits, plus usually great working environment. I work where I can very easily be yelled at every day, made felt that I am stupid, not allowed to be a pt advocate, and work in fear of being sued every day of my life since you have 18 years from birth to file! wow, as an outsider looking in, sign me up! and I think a lot of people come out of nursing school with a false idea of what nursing is really like and bail when they realize reality! The other problem-you can admit more qualified students to turn out more nurses.....BUT WHO WILL TEACH THEM? Nursing instructors are few and far between (probably another issue with pay) and then you need clinical settings....

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