Pennsylvania Department Of Health Release: Health Department Releases Second Report On Status Pf PA Nursing Education Programs; Report Shows 50 Percent Of All Attrition Was Due To Failure To Meet Academic Standards
HARRISBURG, Pa., July 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Health Secretary Dr. Calvin B. Johnson today released the results of the second report to provide insight on characteristics of the Registered Nurse and Licensed Practical Nurse education programs in Pennsylvania.
The report is based on the data provided in the 2003 Nursing Education Program Annual Reports that were submitted to the State Board of Nursing by 125 nursing education programs in Pennsylvania. It provides information such as student enrollment status, the number of faculty, the number of graduates, student attrition and clinical practice placement capacity of professional and practical nursing education programs.
Major findings for nursing education programs in Pennsylvania include:
-- Out of 67 counties in Pennsylvania, 20 do not have either practical
nursing or registered nursing programs. Nineteen of these counties
are defined as rural counties by the 1990 U.S. Census definition.
-- The number of students enrolled in RN programs increased by 59
percent from 9,859 to 15,651 between 1999 and 2003.
-- The number of students enrolled in LPN programs increased by 63
percent from 1,704 to 2,772 between 1999 and 2003.
-- The number of faculty employed in nursing education programs
increased from 1,445 to 1,961 in RN programs and from 240 to 544 in
LPN programs between 1999 and 2003.
-- Since 1999, the number of newly hired, part-time nursing education
faculty has significantly exceeded those hired as full-time with the
exception of RN-Diploma programs. In 2003, the newly hired, part-time
faculty was four times higher than newly hired full-time faculty in
RN-Baccalaureate Degree (BS), RN-Associate Degree (AD) and LPN
programs.
-- The percentages of part-time faculty with required degrees were
significantly lower than those of full-time faculty with required
degrees.
-- Between 2002 and 2003, the number of nursing school graduates
increased with the exception of RN-BS programs, which showed a slight
decrease.
-- RN-BS programs maintained the lowest attrition rates between the
years of 2000 and 2003.
-- Fifty percent of all attrition was due to failure to meet the
academic standards.
-- Seventy percent of RN-BS and 68 percent of RN-AD programs indicated
difficulty in obtaining clinical sites for student experience, while
28 percent of RN-DIP programs and 52 percent of LPN programs
indicated difficulty.
-- The area of most difficulty for finding clinical placements for
student experience was pediatrics, followed by obstetrics, psychiatry
and community health programs.
-- Sixty-three percent of RN programs and 42 percent of LPN programs
offered a Nursing Licensure Examination Review Course.
The Department of Health collaborated with the Department of State's Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs to identify the nature and scope of data available through the State Board of Nursing and to determine its usefulness in addressing the nursing workforce issue. It will continue the efforts of collecting and analyzing data on nursing education programs available through the Board of Nursing to address the nursing workforce shortage issue.
In addition to the "SHIP Report on the Status of Nursing Education Programs in Pennsylvania," the Department of Health previously released reports on surveys of registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, physicians, dentists and dental hygienists. All reports are available online at the SHIP link on the Department's Web site at http://www.health.state.pa.us/.
CONTACT: Jessica Seiders
(717) 787-1783
Pennsylvania Department of HealthCONTACT: Jessica Seiders of Pennsylvania Department of Health,+1-717-787-1783