The University announced last week it plans to double enrollment at the Capstone College of Nursing to address the state of Alabama’s nursing shortage.
The University will work alongside the University of Alabama System and the UAB Health System to graduate more than 550 nurses per year. It is set to position UA as one of the top nursing programs.
Julie Sanford, dean of the Capstone College of Nursing, said the resources to support the college would be doubled, including a new Student Success Center, a pedestrian bridge connecting the college to the DCH Regional Medical Center and doubling the college’s faculty and staff. This comes alongside the UA System Board of Trustees’ recent approval of expansions and renovations to the college.
“It’s going to be a one-stop shop for students, anything they need they can go right there and get that support and those services,” Sanford said. “The second floor is going to be a simulation center, and then the third floor is going to be some research spaces.”
Sanford said the goal of both the enrollment expansion and the physical expansion was to address the nursing shortage and to recruit students from Alabama.
The Alabama Board of Nursing found that around 39,000 Alabama nurses indicated future retirement plans by 2027, meaning there would be a statewide shortage of around 14,000 nurses.
Taylor Rogers, a second semester nursing major, said she thought the expansion would be great for students.
“A lot of the opportunities, the events, the resources, the tutoring, everything that we have, will for sure set me up for the future. I think it’ll honestly encourage us to pursue nursing more,” she said. “I feel like nursing is such a rigorous field, and it is kind of scary. A lot of people are fearful of pursuing the field. But I think if they know that they are supported here and they have the necessary resources, it will support them and encourage them to apply.”
The Capstone College of Nursing will be on track to enroll 3,436 students by 2030, essentially doubling the amount of nurses graduating from the University. The University currently enrolls 1,704 students in both undergraduate and graduate programs.
UA President Peter Mohler said the announcement reflects the University’s statewide commitment.
“Every community in our state — rural and urban — depends on a strong, stable nursing workforce,” he said. “This expansion is possible because of our deep partnerships with our public leaders across Alabama who share our vision for improving health outcomes and strengthening the future of our state.”
