New Jersey Registered Nurse Education
The 2006 analysis on registered nurse education in the state of New Jersey has been completed by the NJ Collaborating Center for Nursing with the help of the New Jersey State Board of Nursing. Information has been collected from every nursing school in the state of New Jersey through annual surveys. The data has been analyzed in terms of enrollment and graduation trends of registered nurses. Student nurse and nursing teacher demographics were also monitored in this study. The results were compiled in 2007 and include data from 42 schools of nursing in the state of New Jersey.
Nursing school enrollment data has been obtained from every RN producing school and as of October 2006, the total number of nursing students was 9,440. This data does not pertain to registered nurses holding associate degrees and being enrolled in four year nursing programs, since those students are already registered nurses.
Student enrollment into nursing programs has been monitored since 2002 when there were only 5,278 student nurses attending these programs. The study clearly indicates a significant increase (more than 4,000 students) in nursing program attendance since 2002. It is interesting to note that even though the overall enrollment of nursing students has increased between 2002 and 2006, the annual increase has slowed down. From 2003 to 2004 there was a 27% increase in nursing student enrollment while from 2005 to 2006 the growth was only 4%. This is not due to a decreased demand of registered nurses, it is the result of nursing schools being unable to accommodate more students.
The data shows a significant increase in the number of registered nurse graduates from 1990 to 2006. In 1990 there were only 1,640 graduates of nursing programs while in 2006 the number increased to 2,372 graduate nurses. Most of these students (1,245) earned an Associate Degree in Nursing which requires two years of study. The others completed Diploma programs (619 students) and BSN programs (508 students). The continuing upward trend in the number of nursing graduates illustrates the constant demand for professional registered nurses.
Demographic information was another important aspect of this 2006 study, which sought to determine the racial and ethnic blend of nursing students in New Jersey. The results have shown 53% of nursing graduates selected White, 20% Black, 10.6% Hispanic, 10.8% Asian/Pacific Islander, 0.3% Alaskan or Native American, 0.1% identified as more than one race, and 4% as other. There was no survey information regarding male nursing graduates or age of nursing students.
A final point investigated by this study consisted of student numbers versus faculty members responsible for RN education between 2003 and 2006. As mentioned before, the number of total nursing students has grown from 6,194 in 2003 to 9,440 in 2006. This represents a 52% growth of students enrolled in nursing programs. It is disappointing to see that the increase in faculty members available to teach these students has not been adequate. Statistical data shows a growth of only 30% in faculty members from 2003 to 2006. Better recruiting and retaining strategies are needed for nursing faculty members in order to educate more nursing students and eventually close the gap between the supply and demand for registered nurses in New Jersey.
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