YSU adds Associate in Nursing to address shortages

In response to the continued demand for more nurses, Youngstown State University is launching a new two-year associate degree in Nursing program this Fall Semester.

“We are pleased to help alleviate the nursing shortage and workforce issues in our community,” said Nancy Wagner, director of YSU’s Centofanti School of Nursing. “We plan to admit a smaller group of students for the first ADN class, but we expect continued growth next year and into the future.”

Applications are being accepted through July 15, 2022, for admission for the Fall 2022 semester. New students should apply at www.apply.ysu.edu.  Current or former YSU students should apply at www.ysu.edu/ADNapplication.  

An associate degree in Nursing was offered when the YSU Nursing program was established in 1967, but it was discontinued in 1989 when the bachelor’s program in Nursing increased enrollment. Recently, due to the announcement of the closure of Mercy College Youngstown campus in 2023 and the need for a larger nursing workforce in the Youngstown community, YSU developed the new ADN program, which has been approved by the Ohio Department of Higher Education and the Higher Learning Commission and conditionally approved by the Ohio Board of Nursing. 

The YSU Centofanti School of Nursing continues to offer the entry-level BSN and the online RN-BSN completion undergraduate programs. In addition, master’s degrees for Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Family Nurse Practitioner and Nursing Education are available in an online format, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree is offered for the nurse anesthesia. 

The ADN curriculum can be viewed at www.ysu.edu/ADNapplication.  

For more information, contact a pre-nursing advisor at 330-941-1820 or the Centofanti School of Nursing at 330-941-3293.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 194,500 average annual openings for registered nurses between 2020 and 2030, with employment projected to grow 9 percent. According to a recent survey by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing and National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers, the median age of RNs is 52 years with more than one-fifth indicating intent to retire from nursing over the next 5 years.