The population of Connecticut is growing all of the time. In fact the New England area is on a growth spurt, largely connected to the cities of Boston and New York City which are not far from the state of Connecticut.
The nursing schools in Connecticut are some of the most well-known in the country. The nursing programs offered at these schools are top notch. Examples of these include the Yale School of Nursing and the School of Nursing at the University of Connecticut. It has been estimated that in the state of Connecticut there will be 14,000 new job openings for nurses through the year 2012. An article published in the Boston Globe in 2009 reported that 90 percent of all nursing school graduates from Connecticut had a job ready and waiting for them before they had even graduated.
It is believed that one of the main reasons why there is a shortage of nurses in Connecticut is because the lack of facilities in which they can be educated. While the nursing schools in Connecticut offer a superior nursing education to all would-be nurses, there are simply not enough spots for every applicant.
According to a report by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) there are not enough nurses in the state to fill the needs of the growing number of patients. If the situation does not improve it has been projected that by 2020 there will be a shortage of more than 11,000 registered nurses (RNs). Over the past two years the 18 nursing schools in the state were forced to turn away as many as 2,000 applicants.
Due to the shortage in this state the job prospects for nurses are extremely good, regardless of the level of the nurse and regardless of her area of specialty. If you are an RN, a LPN, a nurse practitioner, a nurse educator or anything in between there is work available for you in Connecticut. The salary for registered nurses in this state ranges from $55,000 to $65,000 based on credentials and experience. These nursing salaries rank higher than the national average.
There are many nursing schools in Connecticut that offer online nursing programs for those who find this a more accommodating way to learn. For those requiring schools that cater to part-time studies your best choices include St Vincent’s College, University of Hartford, Southern Connecticut State and Western Connecticut State University.
The Lincoln Technical Institute in Hamden offers a diploma program in nursing while the Porter and Chester Institute in Branford with campuses also in Enfield and Watertown offers a professional program in practical nursing. Quinnipiac University in Hamden offers an accelerated BSN program, as well as a BSN, a part-time MSN and a post-master’s certificate. The nursing schools in Connecticut are the place to be!
