Seton Hall Magazine, Winter 2003 - Seton Hall University

Vital Signs
BY SHEILA SMITH NOONAN
With a nursing workforce
that is
facing retirement,
burnout or even both,
the brightest hope for the future
appears to be in cultivating a new
generation of nurses. That’s just
what has been happening during
the past two years at Seton Hall
University’s College of Nursing: It
has experienced a dramatic surge in
its number of nursing students.
For the September 2001 and
September 2002 classes, enrollment
increased nearly 25 percent and
40 percent, respectively.
Compare that nationally, where
there has been a modest enrollment
upswing of about 3 percent, with
an average increase of 7 percent
in New Jersey programs. In the
mid-1990s to 2001, undergraduate
16 SETON HALL UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE
for the Future
New initiatives at Seton Hall’s College of Nursing
attract students who seek a fulfilling profession
with a wide array of job opportunities.
nursing school enrollment, including
Seton Hall’s, had been declining about
5 percent each year.
Recently, the less-than-stable
economy has reignited interest in
nursing, particularly as a second
career, notes Phyllis Shanley Hansell,
R.N., Ed.D., F.A.A.N., dean and professor
of the College of Nursing. With
the intense competition in recruiting
for nurses, jobs are plentiful. “We are
overwhelmed by the number of applicants
for our second degree program,
which is designed for college graduates
holding a baccalaureate degree in
a non-nursing field. The program has
more than doubled during the past
two years,” Hansell says.
The College of Nursing’s skills lab,
state-of-the-art patient simulator, use
of information technology and strong
community health programs, as well as
Seton Hall’s overall reputation, also
are drawing applicants.
One of three nationally ranked
nursing programs in New Jersey,
Seton Hall’s College of Nursing has
the oldest baccalaureate nursing
program in the state. Hansell, a faculty
member since 1975, takes pride
in the College’s nearly 4,000 alumni
and its ability to secure external
grant funding. She and her faculty
take seriously the challenge of offering
programs and courses that both
meet the needs of students and
enhance the profession.
In addition to the baccalaureate
degree and the R.N. to B.S.N.
programs, the College of Nursing
has several graduate programs,
among them:
■ four certificates in specialty
areas, such as school nursing;