Thinking about a Career in Nursing? Here’s What To Expect

Nursing enrollments are on the rise.

Help is on the way to address the current nursing shortage.

The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) and the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (CASN) have released a report that shows a 10-year high in enrollment in entry-to-practice nursing programs. The report, Nursing Education in Canada Statistics: 2008-2009 (PDF), also states that 14,010 students are currently seeking to become registered nurses (RN).

Their numbers also explore several educational models, and reveal a huge 67.7% jump in fast-track programs from last year. Fast-track programs allow students to complete their education in less time than traditional programs, and the survey found that 46.8% of schools offered one or more ETP fast-track programs, with many offering more than 1.

The industry has also seen a rise in distance education options for nursing programs. The survey found that 44.6% of all programs used some form of distance learning option, up from 41.2% in 2007-2008.

The CNA and CASN surveyed 111 schools (including 86 CASN members) to gather their data. The survey also found that the number of nursing graduates has continued to rise over the past 10 years. While 2008 saw a 3.5% drop, graduate numbers rose again by 6.0% in 2009 to 9,662. Ontario and Saskatchewan saw the biggest increases.