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Release
New York Nursing Graduation
Rates on the Rise but Programs at Full Capacity,
Reports UAlbany's Center for Health Workforce
Studies
Lack of faculty causes
qualified applicants to be turned away,
New York still expected to face RN shortages
Contact:
Catherine Herman (518) 437-4980
ALBANY, N.Y. (May 25, 2005) -- Registered
nursing graduation rates continue to climb
in New York State, but many programs are at
full capacity, according to a report released
by the University at Albany's Center for Health
Workforce Studies. RN graduations increased
in both 2003 and 2004, following seven consecutive
years of decline. While the number of RN graduates
in 2004 was significantly higher than 2002,
the number of RN graduates in 2004 is still
18 percent lower than in 1996, when in New
York State the number of RN graduates was at
an all-time high.
The center estimates that nursing education
programs in New York State will need to produce
more than 9,300 RNs per year to meet anticipated
demand. In 2004, only 6,296 RNs graduated from
programs in New York. "While increased
enrollments in RN education programs and renewed
interest in nursing as a career have fueled
an increase in nursing graduations, RN production
in New York must increase beyond currently
projected levels to avert future shortages," said
center director Jean M. Moore.
The study found that the number of nursing
education programs that reported turning away
qualified applicants increased by 13 percent
between 2003 and 2004. Additionally, the number
of programs that reported turning away at least
41 qualified applicants more than doubled,
from only 11 percent of programs in 2003 to
23 percent of programs in 2004.
"Health Resources and Services Administration's
National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
estimates that New York will experience a projected
shortage of over 17,000 RNs by 2010. Nursing
education programs will have to produce more
graduates in order to keep pace with anticipated
demand for RNs," continued Moore. "Since
programs are currently at capacity, the problem
of recruiting and retaining faculty must be
addressed so that no qualified applicant is
turned away." Inadequate classroom and
laboratory space and an insufficient number
of clinical training sites must also be addressed
in order to accommodate more entrants in registered
nursing programs.
For more information, visit the Center for
Health Workforce studies at http://chws.albany.edu.
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