Study reveals progress in nursing numbers but gaps still remain

Inside Investigator – Thursday, December 12, 2024
By Brandon Whiting

CT Data, also known as the Hartford Data Collaborative, recently released its 2023 Nursing Education report, examining whether the state’s nursing education statistics meet the state’s demand. While the report showed promising increases in the state’s number of pre-licensure nurses, it also reflected a growing need for new and better recruitment methods.

“Proactive measures are needed to increase student recruitment into baccalaureate degree nursing programs in the state,” read the report.

It’s no secret that Connecticut has been experiencing a nursing shortage since the onset of COVID-19. Per the Governor’s Workforce Council, the state has consistently fallen short of meeting its need to train approximately 3,000 new nurses a year, as only 1,900 nurses graduate in the state of Connecticut annually. While lawmakers, universities and medical providers have worked together to bridge that gap, the report shows that further investment will be necessary.

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Per the report, Connecticut had 89,819 registered nurses (RNs) and 14,442 licensed practical nurses (LPNs) in 2022. On the surface, these numbers represent a drastic improvement from 2020, with a 21% increase in the total number of licensed nurses over the two-year span. Despite this increase in numbers, only 50% of the state’s RNs are working as nurses, and only 58% of LPNs are.

The stats also showed a mixed-to-positive picture in terms of enrollment in pre-licensure RN programs and capacity. The total number of nursing enrollments has come significantly closer to closing the 3,000 nurse per year gap; while there were only 1,736 students to graduate from such programs in 2017, there were 2,181 graduates in 2023.

The capacity to educate nurses has increased as well; in 2017, pre-licensure programs had a capacity for 2,452 students, while in 2023, the total capacity increased to 2,935. Despite these increases in capacity and enrollment, however, there was also an increased rate of open, yet unfilled seats in nursing programs.

“For baccalaureate and accelerated baccalaureate programs, both new student seat capacity and new student enrollments have increased since 2017,” read the report. “However, the increase in enrollments in these programs has not kept pace with the increase in capacity.”

The percentage of unfilled seats in bachelor’s programs increased from 5% in 2020 to 10% in 2023, while the percentage of unfilled seats in accelerated bachelor’s programs increased from 5% to 14%. Master’s entry programs saw dramatic declines in both enrollment and capacity with capacity declining by 32% from 2022 to 2023, and enrollment declining by 20%. In 2023, 15% of master’s entry program’s open seats were left unfilled.

While the state’s RN programs have yet to reach the state’s needs, they have shown signs of strong improvement. On the other hand, the state’s LPN programs have shown signs of steep decline. There were 48% fewer students enrolled in LPN programs in 2023 than there were in 2021, which the report attributes to the closure of LPN programs, such as the closing of three programs at Porter & Chester Institute, and the closure of Stone Academy.

Ultimately, the report concluded that while the state’s nursing programs were showing positive signs of improvement, it recommended the state take greater measures to improve further. Recommendations included enhanced marketing of nursing programs, increased collaborations between schools and community colleges to provide more pathways to nursing, the offering of financial incentives, scholarships and grants to nurses pursuing higher education, and the strengthening of mentorship and networking programs for students interested in nursing.

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