Northland Colleges (MN) see increased interest in nursing

[cougarnurse]

If you live up here, and there's a wait.....you know why. WDIO.com - Northland Colleges See Increased Interest In Nursing

If you've recently found yourself interested in a nursing career, local colleges say, you're not alone.

"We usually have double the applicants than spots we have," said Lorrie Fox, Director of Nursing Programs at Lake Superior College.

Lake Superior College is just one of the local colleges expanding their programs and making drastic adjustments to accomodate the increasing number of students interested in nursing.

"We've doubled the number we've accepted in the last year because of the interest," said Fox.

The College of St. Scholastica has also seen a 1/3 increase in applicants in the past few years. They say they are literally bursting at the seams.

"We've had to add faculty and space," said Marty Witrak, the Dean of Nursing at St. Scholastica. "We've nailed down every corner in the science building, every lab."

The trend extends beyond Duluth, as well. Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College also saw an increase in applications for this semester. Their wait list is now three years. WITC-Superior accepted 66% more students into their health care programs in just the past year.

Witrak says the increased interest can partially be blamed on population needs.

"It started with projections on the demographic curve," she said. "Because we're doing a better job, people are living longer and living with chronic illnesses and they need help to get through that."

The increase in interest is also because of the current state of the economy.

"It's a job, there are usually lots available, and nice wages," said Fox.
The schools are happy to see students excited about nursing, but it means they've had to be innovative in their teaching.

"The biggest challenge is finding the clinical space they need for experiences," said Witrak. "They need to have experience with live patients." Witrak says they've had to get creative with simulation.

For now, colleges are making it work. But if the trend continues, many schools say big changes will be necessary.

"It will be a very interesting thing to watch," said Witrak.