The U.S is projected to experience a shortage of registered nurses that is expected to intensify as the need for healthcare grows. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2021), employment of registered nurses is projected to grow 9 percent from 2020 to 2030. Pennsylvania is one of the top 5 states with the highest employment level of registered nurses (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2021). Contributing to this shortage is the fact that nursing schools struggle to increase capacity to meet the rising demand (AACN, 2020). Enrollment is limited by a shortage of nursing faculty, clinical sites, and available resources (Poindexter, 2021). Nursing programs turned away more than 80,000 otherwise qualified applicants in 2019-2020 (National Academy of Medicine, 2021).

The nursing profession must also reflect the diversity of the country. According to the National Academy of Medicine IOM report brief (2021), “there are still significant cost, cultural, social, and awareness barriers that prevent people of color, those with low incomes, first-generation college students, and others from pursuing nursing careers” (p. 2). Community colleges are in the position to provide cost-effective, quality nursing education to a diverse student body.

In discussing the IOM report and the need for nursing programs to increase capacity, the nursing department faculty at a large, urban community college realized that they were in a position to increase the capacity of the nursing program by offering an Accelerated Post-Baccalaureate Associate Degree in Nursing (PBAD) option. Approximately 30% of the nursing applicants to the traditional option had bachelor's degrees or higher. When speaking with these students during program information sessions, they related that one of the main reasons for applying to a community college was the inability to afford accelerated BSN programs. The PBAD option provided second-degree students with a fiscally responsible option to obtaining their registered nursing license. The cost to complete the nursing components for the program would amount to approximately $8,000. Upon completion of the program, the graduate would be eligible to take the licensure examination for registered nurses. Several partner universities are offering the RN-BSN articulation for approximately $10,000 with completion in 1 year for a total expenditure of $18,000. The cost of accelerated BSN programs in the area begins at more than $35,000 (Best Value Schools, 2022).

In addition, the nursing department had a long history of providing health promotion activities in collaboration with community partners and was receiving more requests for student support. The additional students admitted to the PBAD option would allow the nursing department to strengthen community partnerships and meet the needs of the healthcare community by offering clinical experiences throughout the year. Previously the activities with community partners ceased during the summer months as the traditional nursing courses were not offered at this time. Students in the program generally demographically mirrored that of the community and they tended to return to the community to work, making them natural health ambassadors for their own communities, establishing more nurses who represent the community served.