The response of higher education to the shortage of nursing school applicants

This survey revealed that the majority of nursing schools responding, both public and private, required a 2.5 GPA for admission and that this standard had not been lowered in response to the nursing shortage. In general, responses indicated a belief that those students admitted with a GPA of less than 2.5 were not as likely to be successful in the program. Although some research in higher education suggests that more stringent requirements tend to improve the status of the college and therefore improve the quality of the applicants, the results of this survey did not support this. However, those schools that had increased their admission standards had done so within the past five years and, therefore, the effects of these changes may not yet be realized. The number, variety, and level of difficulty of prerequisite courses had remained constant and, in some cases, increased. Lowering the number and level of difficulty of prerequisite courses was not being done even with a decrease in the applicant pool. Required nursing courses were being offered on a more frequent basis by some schools to attract more students by increasing flexibility within the program and to increase the number of times during the year that students can be admitted. More time and money were being spent to improve the image of nursing and to recruit qualified students into the profession. Efforts were also being made to make it feasible for associate degree nurses to return for their bachelors degree in nursing.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)