Staff Shortages Force Nursing Schools To Turn Away Applicants

At a time when registered nurses are going on strike to protest staffing shortages, thousands of applicants who want to enter or advance in the profession are being turned away from nursing schools, as reported by Tami Luhby for CNN.

Nearly 78,200 qualified applicants were not offered spots at nursing schools last year. I Photo: Salisbury University Nursing Department Facebook

Nearly 78,200 qualified applicants were not offered spots at nursing schools last year, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, which represents schools with baccalaureate and advanced degree programs.

This figure included nearly 66,300 applications for entry-level bachelor’s degree programs. The number of applications turned away from baccalaureate programs has been higher in recent years than it was prior to 2019.

Staffing shortages are the primary reason why nursing schools are unable to accept more students who aspire to become registered nurses.

The programs are grappling with a lack of faculty, clinical placements for students, and preceptors who supervise the students during their rotations at healthcare providers.

Preceptors also have strict limits on how many students they can oversee, with the ratios often set by state nursing boards. "You can't simply add a lot of people to expand nursing pools," said Judith Jarosinski, professor emerita at Salisbury University’s School of Nursing in Maryland.

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