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100 seats added to ABSN program amidst a nationwide nursing shortage

By Shelley Stockton

What’s Happening

The nursing profession often finds itself short staffed, but the current shortages go beyond job vacancies to include students wanting to enroll in nursing programs being denied admittance due to a shortage of nursing faculty and clinical sites. Since the pandemic, many nurses have moved from hospitals to outpatient settings, and many nurse educators have retired, leaving faculty and clinical nursing positions unfilled.

CNN reported last fall that nearly 78,200 students were not offered admission at nursing schools in 2022, according to the American Association of Colleges and Nursing, which tracks schools with baccalaureate and advanced degree programs. The article states the main reason nursing schools are not able to accept more students who want to become registered nurses is due to staffing shortages, “The programs are contending with a lack of faculty, clinical placements for students and preceptors who supervise the students during their rotations at healthcare providers. Preceptors also have strict limits on how many students they can oversee, with the ratios often set by state nursing boards.”

How Northeastern University in Charlotte is Helping

Northeastern University in Charlotte is meeting the nursing shortage crisis head on. “At a time when thousands of applicants who want to enter or advance in the profession of nursing are being turned away from nursing schools, Northeastern University in Charlotte, in collaboration with the Bouvé College of Health Sciences, is responding to the nursing shortage crisis by demonstrating adaptability and innovation,” Angela Hosking, CEO and Regional Dean says. “By expanding capacity, faculty, and resources, our unique Accelerated Bachelor of Nursing (ABSN) program now accepts students with 62 college credits (versus a completed bachelor’s degree) and transitions them into the accelerated track to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in nursing in just 16 months. The North Carolina Board of Nursing has granted us an additional 100 seats to address this need and we are the only school in the state of North Carolina that has this innovative entry point.”

To accomplish this the Charlotte program hired new full-time faculty and added part-time faculty who specialize in the additional clinical sites they obtained through partnerships with Atrium Health, Novant Health, and CaroMont Health. They also recognize that students and part-time faculty have varying schedules and made the clinical settings available seven days a week. Since the growth of the Charlotte ABSN program, Dr. Grace Buttriss, the program director and clinical professor at Northeastern University Charlotte, reported the program’s largest graduating class in December 2023, and the graduation of the 500th nurse in 2024.

Grace Buttriss, Northeastern University in Charlotte Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program Director and Clinical Professor introduces Cassandra Friend, Student Nursing Advising Board President, at the May 2024 Pinning Ceremony.

What the Charlotte ABSN Program Offers

The ABSN program at Northeastern University in Charlotte allows students to enroll no matter what their previous major or field of study. The admission requirements include a completed bachelor’s degree in any field or 62 college credits. Rolling admissions are available three times a year, and classes begin in January, May and September, to increase the opportunity for students to begin the program. In addition to course work, students will receive hands-on learning experience through the program’s state-of-the art 10-bed skills lab that resembles a hospital ward and four simulation bays where students can practice their new skills safely and build confidence before applying to real patients.

Students will also enjoy the benefit of small groups in the clinical settings which provides additional faculty support as they are learning. “We have six students per clinical faculty member and 25 students for the online nursing courses,” Dr. Buttriss says. “All clinical experiences are in person and courses are online with faculty offering office hours, content clarification and exam content reviews via online platforms.” This hybrid approach allows students the flexibility to fit the program into their work and life commitments.

Another resource specific to the Charlotte program is the Northeastern University in Charlotte ABSN Scholarship. In response to North Carolina’s, and the nation’s, mounting nursing shortage, Northeastern University in Charlotte created a special ABSN Scholarship to encourage more individuals to enter the profession. Every new student who is admitted into the Charlotte ABSN program automatically receives a $26,000 scholarship from the university to help pay for their nursing education. Some students will receive an additional $10,000 based on educational background. Students need only to contact the admissions office to find out more about the program and scholarship.

Students speaking to Atrium Health representative at June 2023 Nursing Career Fair.

Job Placement After Graduation

Northeastern University in Charlotte has seen its nursing graduates go on to work for local hospitals, clinics, and multiple county health departments and school systems. Within the 2022-2023 school year, graduates have been hired by Atrium Health, Novant Health and CaroMont Health medical centers in the areas of behavioral health, hospice, women’s health, pediatrics, critical and emergency care and more. Cabarrus Health Alliance, Charlotte Mecklenburg Public Health Schools, and DaVita Health have also received nursing graduates from the Charlotte ABSN program.

“It is our hope that with the addition of seats in the Charlotte program we can ease the area’s nursing shortage as the majority of Charlotte ABSN graduates remain in the area to work as an RN after graduation,” Dr. Buttriss says. “We do not have a nursing faculty shortage at the Charlotte campus and support our graduates returning to work at Northeastern after they achieve two years of nursing experience.” Graduates can apply for didactic and clinical faculty positions after two years in the workforce and further education at the Master’s level. This experience allows graduates to pay it forward to the next generation of nursing students and continue the level of nursing excellence at Northeastern University in Charlotte.mThere has never been a better time to consider a career in nursing. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, employment of registered nurses is projected to grow 6% from 2022 to 2032, faster than average for all occupations.

Shelley Stockton is a freelance writer and editor living in Charlotte, N.C. Contact her at [email protected] or through her website at shelleystockton.com.

“At a time when thousands of applicants who want to enter or advance in the profession of nursing are being turned away from nursing schools, Northeastern University in Charlotte, in collaboration with the Bouvé College of Health Sciences, is responding to the nursing shortage crisis by demonstrating adaptability and innovation.”

Angela Hosking, MBA, MSN, RN, NE-BC
CEO and Regional Dean, Northeastern University in Charlotte

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