The Need for Diploma Nursing Schools
St. Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing was
re-established in 2006, when the Pennsylvania Board of Nursing (PSBON) issued
the first Diploma Nursing School License in Philadelphia in 70 years.
This
action will help alleviate the dramatic shortage of nurses in the
Philadelphia
area.
During the past seven years, the rate of graduating
diploma nursing students, in the State of Pennsylvania decreased significantly.
In 1995 there were 1,614 graduating students from
diploma nursing schools compared to 2001, where there were only 606 graduating
students, representing a 62% decrease.
This caused a decrease in the number of nurses
available for patient care in hospitals.
As current Nurses retire,
there are fewer nurses to replace them.
Enrollment statistics for the past seven years show
that there is a decrease in the number of potential students entering the
profession of nursing from Diploma Nursing Schools.
Statistic show in 1995 there were a total of 4,171
students enrolled in an RN Diploma Program in Pennsylvania.
But in 2001 only 2067 were enrolled in RN Diploma
Programs, representing a 50.4% decrease.
As the baby boomer generation ages, there will be
an increasing need for healthcare professionals to serve their communities.
Demand for Nursing Programs and Professionals
The demand for professional
nursing graduates is increasing at a rate that current nursing programs cannot
sustain, especially in Northeastern United States.
Even though the American Association of Colleges of
Nursing, in their 2003-2004 study on enrollment and graduation, suggests that
“Enrollment in entry-level baccalaureate programs in nursing increased by 14.1
percent in fall 2004 {nationwide} over the previous years…[and]…the greatest
increase was found in the North Atlantic States where enrollments in entry-level
baccalaureate programs rose by 21.5 percent…Despite this significant gain, more
than 32,000 qualified applications were turned away from baccalaureate and
graduate nursing programs last year (2003).”
A principal reason applicants
were not admitted is due to an increasing shortage of qualified faculty.
As pointed out in the AACN report, “In 2002, a
total of 5,283 students were turned away from all types of professional
programs…almost two thirds (64.8%) of the nursing schools responding to the 2003
survey pointed to faculty shortages as reasons for not accepting all qualified
applicants into entry-level baccalaureate programs.”
Furthermore, the demand for
nursing professionals in institutions such as hospitals, long term care
facilities, as well as other related institutions is increasing at a steady
pace. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, “Job opportunities for RNs are
expected to be very good.
Employment of registered nurses is expected to grow
faster than the average for all occupations through 2012, and because the
occupation is very large, many new jobs will result.
In fact more new jobs are expected … [to]…be
created for RNs than for any other occupation.
Thousands of job openings also will result from the
need to replace experienced nurses who leave the occupation, especially as the
median age of the registered nurse population continues to rise.”
There are extensive studies and reports of the need
for nursing professionals in all sectors of the healthcare industry, which in
turn increases the need for nursing programs.
The opening of St. Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing is a
model for the creation of other new Diploma Nursing Schools.
