Nurses Support Investment in Public Higher Education

LATHAM, NY (12/17/2007)(readMedia)-- The New York State Nurses Association today welcomed the recommendations of the Higher Education Commission that call for increased investment in the SUNY/CUNY system to meet future workforce demands in our state.

Of particular importance is the need to expand nursing education programs that are affordable and accessible to qualified students. It is estimated that 10,000 registered nurses must graduate each year in New York State to meet the demand as large numbers of nurses reach retirement age. Just under 7,000 RNs graduated from New York programs in 2005. For that same year, the state's Center for Public Health Workforce Studies reported that nursing schools turned away 3,000 qualified applicants.

Nursing education programs are unable to increase their capacity because of a lack of qualified faculty, clinical training sites, and classroom space as reasons for turning away potential RNs. Nursing education is costly for institutions, due to the need for laboratory space, the low student-faculty ratios required for clinical teaching, and the cost of arranging for on-site clinical experience in healthcare facilities. These factors have caused several private universities in New York to close their nursing education programs in recent years.

The Nurses Association is urging Governor Spitzer to make a significant investment in public schools of nursing in his 2008-2009 Executive Budget by allocating $4 million for SUNY nursing education programs and $4 million for CUNY nursing education programs. These funds should be designated exclusively for either the expansion or the creation of nursing education programs within the SUNY/CUNY system.

Associate Degree programs in nursing are available at: SUNY College of Technology at Delhi, Morrisville State College, SUNY at Farmingdale, CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College, and SUNY College of Technology at Alfred.

Bachelors Degree programs in nursing are available at: SUNY Binghamton, Morrisville State College, SUNY Upstate Medical University, SUNY College at Brockport, SUNY at Farmingdale, SUNY at Stony Brook, SUNY Health Science Center-Brooklyn, SUNY College at New Paltz, SUNY College at Plattsburgh, SUNY Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome, and the University at Buffalo.

With more than 35,000 members, the New York State Nurses Association fosters high standards of nursing education, research, and practice; engages in legislative activity; and provides collective bargaining services to registered nurses. Its mission is to advance the profession of nursing and protect the public's health.

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