RICHMOND, Va. — Nurses nationwide are retiring or leaving the profession early due to burnout faster than nursing programs across the country can replace them.
Now Virginia Commonwealth University is expanding its nursing program to help address a statewide shortage of registered nurses.
The school is adding hundreds of new enrollment spots over the next several years.
According to a 2025 study conducted by George Mason University, Virginia needs approximately 17,000 registered nurses to address the nursing shortage statewide.
VCU Nursing Program Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Mark Tanner said the university previously held only one admission cycle per year, capping enrollment at 140 students — while turning away more than 400 applicants annually.
To combat the shortage, VCU opened a second admission cycle.
Tanner said the program now admits 140 students in the spring and admitted 120 students in the fall last year.
This coming fall, VCU will admit an additional 130 students, before committing to an additional 140 students each spring and fall starting in 2028.
Guinevere Swanson, a rising senior in the VCU nursing program, said the expansion gives qualified students opportunities they previously could not access.
"It was really competitive and a lot of people who had the GPA, had the experience and were ready for it, weren't able to go into the program from VCU because they're just weren't enough spots," Swanson said. "So I think it's great that all of these qualified students are being given spots to get the education that they want to get."
Swanson said her path to nursing began before she ever set foot on VCU's campus.
"I took my EMT course at VCU in high school and I got to see how hands on nursing care is," Swanson said. "It's just important to go where you're needed."
Tanner said VCU has graduated more students with health-related degrees than any other institution in the state, and the program has maintained its nursing licensure exam pass rate even as enrollment has grown.
"I think our last quarter that we just got was 95% which is well above the national average which is about 88%. So we've maintained our NCLEX Pass rate as we've been able to work through everything as well," Tanner said.
Tanner said preparing students for the emotional and physical demands of nursing is critical to helping them avoid early burnout.
The program uses simulation tools to give students hands-on experience in a controlled environment.
"We have mannequins, we have task trainers, we have different things that they can do so that they can experience what it would be like and it's a safe place for them to learn," Tanner said.
Click here to learn more about the VCU School of Nursing.
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