Ualbany launches two nursing programs
ALBANY — This fall, University at Albany is launching two new degree programs — a bachelor of science in nursing completion program and a master of science in population health nursing — to help alleviate the nurse shortage in New York.
Nearly 30,000 registered nurse positions requiring a bachelor’s degree were posted throughout New York state in the 12 months leading up to October 2022. That demand comes amid a growing call for the nursing workforce to have a strong understanding of the social determinants of health and health equity, university officials said Monday.
As one of the most diverse public research institutions in the country, Ualbany and its School of Public Health are uniquely positioned to fill this unmet need, according to Ualbany President Havidán Rodríguez.
“New York state is facing a severe shortage of health care providers, including nurses,” he said. “Together with the fact that our state’s population is aging rapidly, with the proportion of New Yorkers in the 65+ age bracket the largest it has ever been, there is a critical and urgent need to bolster our health care workforce.
“With the creation of the nursing program at Ualbany, we are poised to help solve the nursing shortage by providing a pathway for existing nurses to attain advanced degrees to expand their skill sets and career options.”
State initiatives to address the health care workforce shortage are also expected to drive interest in the nursing field over the next few years. Gov. Kathy Hochul last year announced a scholarship pro
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gram for nurses, part of a broad effort to grow the state’s health care workforce by 20 percent over the next five years.
Registered nurses throughout the state will also soon be impacted by the “BSN in 10” law. Passed in 2017, the law requires all registered nurses practicing in New York to obtain a baccalaureate degree in nursing within 10 years of obtaining their initial license.
By 2027, when the first cohort of nurses reaches that deadline, the Capital Region is expected to see a surge in demand for degree-completion options, according to Mary Gallant, Ualbany’s interim dean of the School of Public Health.
“Given that the Capital Region is home to numerous hospitals and medical facilities, there has long been high demand for a nursing program at Ualbany,” Gallant said. “Further, the pandemic has underscored the importance of a strong understanding of public health among those working in the health care field.”
The program will be led by Director and professor Jessica Castner, who comes to Ualbany following a yearlong residency as the Distinguished Nurse Scholar-inresidence at the National Academy of Medicine.
“Demand for health care workers is soaring, yet, in 2021, nursing schools across the country turned away 91,938 qualified applicants from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs due to a shortage of faculty and other resources to accommodate them,” Castner said. “This shows that while demand for such programs is growing, our capacity to train nurses, as a nation, is insufficient. At Ualbany, we are ready to help fill this gap.”
Through the School of Public Health’s partnership with the Department of Health, nursing students will have access to unique clinical placement opportunities related to public health and population health. By coordinating with Hudson Valley Community College, Ualbany’s biggest transfer partner, the BSN completion program will give students graduating with their associate degree in nursing from HVCC a pathway to pursue bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Ualbany.
Students of the program will have opportunities to undertake research alongside faculty who are leaders in their fields.
Students will have the option to enroll in the completion program on a full- or part-time basis beginning this fall. Coursework completed during their nursing associate degree programs will be counted toward the BSN.