Connecticut Facing Nursing Shortage

According to the Connecticut Department of Labor, the state has an ongoing nursing shortage, despite efforts from Connecticut schools to increase enrollment of students in nursing programs.  According to the Department, there are 1,081 openings for registered nurses per year, 535 annual openings for nursing aides and 294 openings a year for licensed practical nurses.  The Department estimates that by 2014, the demand for registered nurses will have grown by 13 percent, the demand for aides will be up by 9 percent and the state will need 16 percent more licensed practical nurses.

While technical school and college nursing programs in the state have doubled the enrollment of nursing students to combat the shortage, they report that a lack of teachers and a high dropout rate has contributed to the current shortage.

Technical schools in Connecticut report they are unable to attract nurses to teach in their programs due to the disparity in the salary an experienced nurse is paid by a hospital versus a teaching position in a technical program. 

While the schools are able to attract many nursing students, school administrators say that about half of each nursing class drops out.  These dropouts are attributed to the inability of many students to cope with the large amount of math and science coursework and the students’ inability to handle working sixteen hours in a hospital as part of their nursing training.

Print This Page

Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided as a public service and not intended to establish an attorney client relationship. Any reliance on information contained herein is taken at your own risk.