When the class of 2002 graduates in December from Niagara University's College of Nursing, there will be the usual mix of excitement and relief, laughter and tears. What will not be normal is that some of the tears will be more sad than joyful. The graduates and faculty won't just be saying goodbye to each other-they'll be bidding farewell to their New York institution, which is closing after more than 50 years.

In December 1999, Niagara's board of trustees voted to phase out its nursing program, pointing to declining enrollment and interest in nursing as a career. On the other side of the country, the University of Southern California, which has been graduating 10 percent of California's bachelor's-prepared nurses, has made a similar decision. The last generic BSN nursing class will graduate from USC in 2004.

According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, enrollment in entry-level baccalaureate programs declined each year between 1995 and 2000. This pattern hasn't alarmed only colleges, it has been perceived by hospital employees, elected officials and others as a looming crisis for the population at large.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 1 million new nurses will be needed by 2010. In Long Island, N.Y., alone, there is a need to boost the number of nurses by 19 percent during the next five years. It doesn't take a math whiz to deduce that increased need for new nurses combined with a reduced enrollment in schools of nursing equals a growing deficit.

Upward trend

There is some good news, though, that may make Niagara's board less pessimistic about the future of America's health care. The AACN has just released new survey results that show a 3.7 percent increase in baccalaureate program enrollments between 2000 and 2001. For the first time in six years, the trend is up.

Schools of nursing from every corner of the country report renewed interest in their programs. Margaret Hourigan, Ed.D., Ed.M., MS, assistant professor of nursing at St. Joseph's College of Maine, reports that as of Feb. 1, her university had 90 applicants, compared to 60 at the same time a year ago. Because enrollment is capped at 40 to 45, some would-be nurses won't be admitted this year.

Indiana University has increased its undergraduate BSN enrollments on seven of its eight campuses. Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore reports a 16 percent increase, while the Loma Linda University School of Nursing in California is up by 18 percent. At the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio School of Nursing, the 2001 first-year class is 23 percent larger than the 2000 class.

The university nursing student population is not alone in its growth. Associate degree programs have experienced increased interest as well.

Chris Stokke, acting coordinator of the Olympic College Nursing Program in Bremerton, Wash., is able to accept 45 to 50 new students each year. At present, about 150 known students at his community college are working on prerequisites in pursuit of their goal to be accepted into the nursing program.

More exposure

Why the increased interest in nursing? The universities themselves have stepped up their marketing efforts. Johns Hopkins enhanced its Web site and expanded its recruitment staff. St. Joseph's started a special career day for high school seniors and their parents. Seattle Pacific University has begun "Summer Nurse Camp" for young people interested in exploring the field.

"We attribute our increase to a recruitment campaign that focuses on nursing as the gateway to a lifetime of career opportunities," said Angela Barron McBride, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, distinguished professor and dean at the Indiana University School of Nursing.

Nursing schools also are reaping the benefits of other recruitment efforts. One example is the nurse recruiter at Harrison Memorial Hospital in Bremerton, who meets with school counselors and visits schools to share the variety of opportunities available in a nursing career. MultiCare Medical Center in Tacoma, Wash., is sponsoring local television commercials that feature staff nurses talking about their rewarding jobs. Then there is Johnson & Johnson's "Campaign for Nursing's Future."

The corporate giant plans to invest $20 million in a three-year media campaign including advertising, recruiting, a Web site and scholarship in an effort to attract new nursing students. The ads, using real nurses, ran in prime-time hours during the Winter Olympics, with the tag line "Be a Nurse, Dare to Care."

Hourigan believes these efforts are just beginning to pay off. "I think the increased interest in nursing is a function of several variables," she said. "Probably local efforts to attract young people to the profession have been as effective as national initiatives. I dare say the wonderful television promotion during the Olympics will have a[n] impact."

Stokke agrees. "The word is getting out," he said. "Nursing is a great profession with unlimited opportunities. As people learn about it, we're going to have more and more second-career and change-of-career students wanting to enroll in our programs."

If the public doesn't get the word, it won't be because it isn't out there. Johnson & Johnson has scheduled its campaign to last for the next two years. The Discovery Health Channel will present a five-episode series in May featuring inspiring nurses. Other corporate support and media coverage is expected to follow.

It's a good thing, because as Carolyn Williams, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, AACN president and dean at the University of Kentucky College of Nursing, said, "Schools are experiencing a limited measure of success, but we still have a long way to go to meet the projected demand for nurses."

Contact Kathleen Sanford, RN at kathleensanford@hmh.westsound.net