Jan. 30. With nurses in high demand, Central Piedmont Community College is expanding its Associate Degree in Nursing Program from 200 to 300 student.

Central Piedmont will also more than double the size of its Practical Nursing Program from 24 to 64 students.

Background

The nation is projected to experience a shortage of RNs that is expected to intensify as Baby Boomers age and the need for health care grows. Compounding the problem is the fact that nursing schools across the country are struggling to expand capacity to meet the rising demand for care.

Central Piedmont will also offer two new options for students – an accelerated associate degree in nursing track and an LPN-to-associate-degree in nursing bridge program.

—The accelerated associate degree in nursing program will give motivated students who can attend school full-time (up to 37 hours per week) the opportunity to complete their studies in 14-15 months. In addition to the rigorous class schedule, students will need to study outside of class 10-15 hours per week. The program will open with its first class in May.

—The LPN-to-ADN bridge option is designed to give licensed practical nurses a path to earn their associate degree in nursing and become registered nurses. The program will span three semesters and take one year to complete. The program, which will include on-campus and online classes, will open May 2025.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Employment Projections 2021-2031, the Registered Nursing workforce is expected to grow by 6 percent over the next decade. The RN workforce is expected to grow from 3.1 million in 2021 to 3.3 million in 2031, an increase of 195,400 nurses. The Bureau also projects 203,200 openings for RNs each year through 2031 when nurse retirements and workforce exits are factored into the number of nurses needed in the U.S.