Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN — Because of the continued demand for more nurses, Youngstown State University is launching a new two-year associate degree in nursing program this fall.

The U.S. 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 registered nurses is 52 years with more than one-fifth indicating intent to retire from nursing over the next five years.

Applications are being accepted through July 15 for admission to the associate degree in nursing program 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 in 1967 when the YSU nursing program was established. It was discontinued in 1989 when the bachelor’s program 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 community, YSU developed the new associate’s degree in nursing 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 ADN curriculum can be viewed at www.ysu.edu/ADNapplication.

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

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