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Summer residential program: a university model for recruiting high school students to nursing.

Article Excerpt
ABSTRACT As the nursing shortage continues, nurse educators must develop creative strategies to recruit high school students. A midsize university in the Midwest has found a one-week summer residential enrichment program, offered annually since 1990, to be a successful tool for introducing students to the wide variety of nursing roles and career opportunities. Participants tour various clinical settings and have hands-on clinical experiences in the nursing laboratory. Housed in dormitories with peers who are interested in other fields, they have the opportunity to experience university life. Nurse faculty, alumni, local nursing organizations, and university staff collaborate in offering this program.

Key Words Recruitment Strategy--Nursing Shortage--Traditional Nursing Students--Summer Residential Program

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BY 2010, THE DEMAND FOR RNs IN THE UNITED STATES WILL FAR EXCEED THE SUPPLY. It is projected that nurses at that time will average 45.4 years of age and that many will retire within the next 10 years (1). Concurrently, 78 million baby boomers will retire and become eligible for Medicare (2,3). * Faced with today's nursing shortage (4) and anticipating a continued shortage in the long term, nurse educators are looking for creative strategies to interest high school students in nursing careers. Although nontraditional students and second-degree students are seeking nursing degrees (5), the importance of recruiting young people into the profession cannot be ignored. Traditional college students will graduate with the potential for a lifelong career. * This article reports on a program offered by a midsize university in the Midwest that introduces high school students to the nursing profession.

This one-week summer residential enrichment program was developed in 1989...