Findings from the annual survey of schools of nursing academic year 2007-2008.

As Recession Hits, Expansion of Educational Capacity Stalls Insufficient Faculty Is Major Constraint to Expansion of Postlicensure Programs Since the 1950s, the NLN has conducted an annual survey of all nursing programs in the United States to gather key statistics, including admissions, enrollments, graduations, student demographics, and numbers of faculty. The 2009 annual survey was administered from May to September 2009 to obtain 2007-2008 data. The 2009 annual survey contains a number of new topics critical to addressing data gaps related to the nursing education workforce and nursing education capacity. New student-related topics are discussed below; an analysis of issues related to faculty will be available later this spring. Recent additions include: * Unused educational capacity * Constraints on expanding admissions * Improved instructional staffing counts * Faculty vacancies and recruitment * Impact of faculty shortage on educational capacity To supplement this synopsis, a comprehensive set of tables and figures is available in a variety of easy-to-use electronic formats at the NLN Data View(TM) website (www.nln.org/research/slides). In addition, the entire Nursing Data Review is available, at no cost, in pdf format at NLN DataView. It is also important to note that this current analysis of the survey uses two different methodologies for estimating key summary statistics. (See Sidebar, "About the Methodology," for details.) As noted in the sidebar, a more detailed discussion of estimation techniques is available online. Key Statistics Reflect Slowing Growth In a surprising turnaround, annual admissions to prelicensure nursing programs fell in 2008 for the first time in at least six years. Since 2003, nursing program admissions consistently moved upward, achieving an overall increase of over 36 percent during the period. However, in 2008, new admissions were down by almost 2 percent across all prelicensure program types. Overall enrollments in prelicensure nursing programs were flat in 2008 for the first time in six years. Consistent with admissions trends over the period, growth in enrollments in baccalaureate programs edged just slightly higher in 2008, increasing by 2 percent, after a notable decline in 2007. By contrast, enrollments in ADN programs dove into negative territory, falling by 0.7 percent, after experiencing a dramatic 12 percent spike between 2005 and 2006. Prelicensure graduations did increase significantly in 2008, a lagging effect of the upsurge in admissions between 2003 and 2005. Overall nationwide graduations rose almost 12 percent over the prior year, with all three program types experiencing growth on the order of approximately 12 percent. Growth of Nursing Programs Declines Expansion in the number of prelicensure RN programs ground to a near halt between 2007 and 2008, with the nation adding only 15 additional programs, a less than 1 percent increase. This minute increment constitutes a considerable slowdown in expansion, coming on the heels of almost 10 percent growth in the number of programs in 2006, and a smaller but still notable increase of almost 4 percent in 2007. The pause in expansion did not affect associate degree programs, which experienced a steady growth rate of 2.3 percent in both 2007 and 2008. The number of baccalaureate programs, however, decreased by two over the same period, and the number of diploma programs dropped by six, from 75 to just 69. High Levels of Unmet Demand for Admissions Persist In 2008, the number of applications to prelicensure nursing programs was nearly identical to the prior year, possibly signaling the end of a sixyear growth trend. Although the number of applications has oscillated in the past, since 2003 the total volume of applications has trended strongly upward, rising a total of 57 percent. This uptick in applications is consistent with national trends: applications to four-year undergraduate institutions have increased in recent years as admissions have become more competitive and electronic forms have simplified the application process. …