# Meeting Utah‘s Critical Nursing Shortages Through Expanding Two\-Year Programs

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- Published: 2024-04-05
- Author: Charlene Farwell
- Categories: [School](https://33rdsquare.com/category/education/school/)

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Utah currently faces a shortage of nearly 3,000 nurses across hospitals, clinics, care facilities and other healthcare settings, according to 2021 projections from the Utah Medical Education Council. With demand increasing dramatically in alignment with state population growth and aging patient demographics, this nursing workforce gap is forecast to expand to over 11,000 nurses by 2030 unless more nurses are trained and employed.

Two-year associate‘s degree in nursing (ADN) programs are filling workforce pipelines by equipping students with essential nursing competencies and direct patient care experience needed for registered nursing licensure and practice after graduation. The condensed timeline and focused career preparation of 2-year programs provides an accessible pathway into the field compared to traditional 4-year degree programs.

## Enrollment Growth and Expanding Program Capacity

To illuminate the role of 2-year institutions in addressing state and national nursing demands, this analysis spotlights trend data among prominent 2-year nursing programs in the Salt Lake City region.

The 5 major public and private schools offering Associate‘s level RN preparation in Salt Lake City proper have increased enrollment capacity by 37% between 2017 and 2021 – expanding from admiting 436 nursing students per year to 598 students per year across the programs combined.

**Table 1. Growth in Enrollment Capacity across Top 5 Salt Lake City 2-Year RN Programs**

| College | 2017 Enrollment | 2021 Enrollment | % Change |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Ensign College | 86 | 102 | 19% |
| Ameritech College | 54 | 90 | 67% |
| Eagle Gate College | 72 | 120 | 67% |
| Roseman University | 72 | 96 | 33% |
| Nightingale College | 152 | 190 | 25% |
| Total | 436 | 598 | 37% |

The largest public community college network in Utah, Salt Lake Community College (SLCC), offers an Associate Degree Nursing program across 4 regional campuses. As the largest training pathway, SLCC has increased enrollment by 16% from 2017 to 2021 – expanding seats from 720 open positions per year to 836 open slots per year across campuses.

To keep pace with state and industry demands, nursing colleges are investing in simulation labs, facilities expansion and hiring additional specialized faculty. Schools are also expanding program models with satellite campuses, online-enabled curriculums and accelerated degree options.

Ameritech College Director of Nursing Nancy Mosier states, "With rapid growth in healthcare sector jobs in Utah projected over this decade, we are expanding program capacity between our main campus and new West Jordan campus to double our nursing student enrollment by 2025 to help fill this major shortage. Our graduates have first-time RN licensure exam pass rates of 87-91% over the past 5 years, demonstrating the effectiveness of our College‘s nursing education model. We also launched an Accelerated RN Program option this year that enables students meet all degree requirements in just 16 months."

## Career Outcomes Spotlight

In addition to classroom and clinical proficiency, two-year schools also empower nursing graduates with networking support, career prep and placement services to set them up for success as they enter Utah‘s healthcare workforce.

The table below highlights impressive employment rates among 2021 nursing graduates from three major Salt Lake City programs:

**Table 2. Graduate Employment Rates for 2021 Nursing Graduates**

| College | Graduates | Employed within 6 Months | Hospital Partnerships |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Roseman Univ. | 56 | 96% employed | 8 health systems |
| Ameritech College | 87 | 93% employed | 5 hospitals, 14 clinics |
| Ensign College | 102 | 91% employed | 3 major networks |

With over 50 hospital partnerships across Utah, two-year ADN programs collaborate closely with healthcare employers through clinical rotation exchanges, nursing preceptor guidance and new grad recruitment pipelines.

Ensign College Associate Dean Dr. Lisa Wright remarks, "Our graduates are highly sought after to fill Registered Nurse openings across the major hospitals and clinics in Salt Lake and surrounding counties. We work closely with these employer partners to ensure our curriculum equips students with the hands-on abilities and human-centered bedside manner that prepares them to excel from day one on the job."

## Continuing Education and Career Advancement

While two-year nursing graduates obtain essential qualifications to work professionally as Registered Nurses, schools are expanding bridges for ADN-prepared nurses to pursue further education through Bachelor‘s and Graduate programs. Several Salt Lake City nursing colleges have partnerships enabling grads to transfer credits towards RN-to-BSN completion programs at 4-year institutions in Utah.

Alternatively, schools are launching their own RN-to-BSN curriculum to provide career mobility opportunities. Nightingale College began enrolling students in an online Bachelor‘s of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree in 2020 tailored to working Associate‘s prepared Registered Nurses looking to enhance their competencies and long-term career prospects in fields like public health, leadership and nursing informatics.

Pathway programs like these increase access and nurse diversity, as nurses working full-time in underserved communities can upskill towards baccalaureate and master‘s level credentials through flexible online coursework. Expanding progression opportunities mitigates another contributor to shortages – high turnover rates from nurses feeling stagnant and leaving the profession after a few years. Investing in career mobility empowers Associate‘s prepared nurses with personal and professional growth needed for long-term healthcare employment.

## Meeting Healthcare Demands Through Nursing Education Innovation

From millions in state funding for nursing program seat expansions to broadened academy-employer partnerships – Utah is investing in two-year nursing pathways to quickly qualify graduates to help fill the over 11,000 Registered Nurse openings projected statewide in coming years.

While capacity is scaling, nursing education reform requires additional focus to drive student access, affordability and success outcomes. As Higher Education leaders and policymakers work to build sustainable nursing pipelines, we must champion innovations that break down barriers:

**Table 3. Two-Year Nursing Program Reform Opportunities**

| Challenge | Potential Solutions |
| --- | --- |
| High admissions selectivity | Evaluating holistic factors beyond test scores and GPAs to reduce bias and identify strengths |
| Lack of diversity | Partnerships, pipeline programs and scholarships to recruit students from disadvantaged backgrounds into healthcare |
| Curriculum misalignment | Improved transfer pathways and credit recognition between 2-year and 4-year institutions |
| Student services gaps | Wrap-around support structures for mental health, peer networking, career prep and financing guidance |
| Faculty shortages | Incentives and development programs to upskill nurse practitioners and working professionals to teach |
| Clinical placement competition | State and federal investments to expand nursing school practice and simulation sites to supplement hospital rotations |
| Unclear industry alignment | Competency mapping, program requirements and outcome metrics co-designed with healthcare employers |

While nursing demands intensify, Utah‘s two-year colleges are demonstrating their value and flexibility in preparing larger, more diverse cohorts of qualified graduates to fill short-staffed hospitals and clinics statewide. Through continued innovation and reform, nursing schools can further lead the charge in helping the state establish a robust and sustainable nursing workforce delivering exceptional patient care.

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