The initial efforts of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation to provide student aid have helped bring Pennsylvania’s schools of nursing back to full enrollment. The first initiatives provided student aid to assist nursing schools both with attracting and retaining students of nursing. The success of these efforts is evident by the waiting lists, which many schools are reporting, for admission to their nursing programs.

However, even at full enrollment, the Pennsylvania Health Department forecasts a demand for future nurses which the Foundation knows that Pennsylvania schools of nursing cannot hope to meet. Therefore, the Foundation has been working with an implementation committee of Governor Rendell’s Center for Health Careers Leadership Council to prepare a package of nursing education initiatives aimed at increasing the capacity of our nursing schools.

By increasing the number of nurses who are credentialed to teach – by attracting more experienced nurses into teaching – by expanding faculty – and by providing new and innovative kinds of student aid – we can create the possibilities to obtain a degree in nursing, and offer hope to Pennsylvania’s citizens that this demand for nurses will be successfully met.

Click here for further information on the Nursing Education Capacity Initiatives for nurse educators.