Jacksonville University's online RN to BSN degree program meets a critical demand for nursing education during a time when many nurses are being turned away from ground-based universities due to limited program space.
	According to the 2003 annual survey by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), enrollments in entry-level baccalaureate programs in nursing increased by 16.6 percent in fall 2003 over 2002.
	Despite this significant gain, more than 11,000 qualified students were turned away from baccalaureate nursing programs due to limited numbers of faculty, clinical sites and classroom space.
	AACN's findings are based on responses from a total of 564 (82.7 percent) of the nation's nursing schools with baccalaureate and graduate degree programs that were surveyed in fall 2003. The survey found that total enrollment in all nursing programs leading to the baccalaureate degree was 126,954 — up from 2002's 116,099. The year 2003 marks the third year of enrollment increases in baccalaureate programs, which had declined steadily from 1995 to 2000. During that six-year period, enrollments in baccalaureate programs dropped by almost 19 percent from 127,683 to 103,999 students.
	“AACN applauds the vigorous efforts of nursing schools nationwide to expand student capacity in light of the nursing shortage," said Kathleen Ann Long, PhD, APRN, FAAN, president of AACN. "The significant increase in enrollments this year represents an important step toward meeting the healthcare system's growing need for nurses prepared at the baccalaureate and higher degree levels.”
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