New Jersey Nursing Shortage Proposal
By Kristin Royce

Rutgers hopes to help New Jersey's nursing shortage by opening a new School of Nursing at the Rutgers-Camden Campus. These plans, recently released to the public by Rutgers President Richard L. McCormick, could potentially be put into effect later this fall if ratified by the Rutgers Board of Governors, the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education and the New Jersey Presidents' Council.

Rutgers-Camden enrolls more than 5,000 students across the levels of undergraduate, master's level and PhD students in their schools; Arts and Sciences, the Graduate School, University College, the School of Law and the School of Business. The School of Nursing would be a welcome addition to the mix of professional schools at the Rutgers Camden campus.

The Rutgers-Camden campus already offers a nursing major to students enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences. The campus is also known for a high pass rate on the NCLEX exam, a test required for students to become registered nurses - 93% in the last two years.

McCormick hopes that expanding this major into an entire school could create a higher standard of performance and education in the areas that need nurses most. McCormick stated, "This announcement signals Rutgers' full commitment to advancing nursing education - and, indeed, the overall quality of health care - in southern New Jersey. We look forward to working closely with hospitals and other health care agencies throughout the region as we build a school that addresses the needs of their vital profession."

There are currently less than twenty schools in New Jersey that offer baccalaureate or graduate degrees in nursing. The Rutgers-Camden school is one of few schools that offer nursing degrees below Trenton. This scarcity of nursing professionals in New Jersey is reflected in the state of health care across America. The United States is suffering through one of the worst nursing shortages in the last century. Schools all around the nation are attempting to ameliorate this problem by increasing funds allotted to and enrollment in nursing programs.

This nursing school will enroll at least 345 undergraduate and graduate students in the next six years. This should greatly lessen the strain put on other nursing schools in New Jersey, while promoting health care as a career in southern New Jersey. Additionally, the plans to create a nursing PhD program at the school would be an innovative tool for bringing the best and brightest to nursing education, by creating a new supply of nursing professors across the United States.

Rutgers alumni are excited to hear about the plans for a school of nursing. J. Mark Baiada, who graduated from Rutgers with both undergraduate and MBA degrees, founder of Bayada Nurses, praised the program, stating that "I am proud as both a Rutgers alumnus and South Jersey resident that Rutgers is providing students with more nursing opportunities to make a difference in the lives of others."

School administrators plan to partner their students with community health care centers, providing both undergraduate and graduate students with hands on opportunities for learning.

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