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USA TODAY SPECIAL EDITION
EDUCATION
Nursing the Future Medical training adapts in the face of a global pandemic
Applications for Michigan State University’s nursing program increased in 2020. MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
By Matt Alderton
F
OR MORE THAN A year, nurses have been the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. On news broadcasts and social media, they’ve appeared in face shields, goggles, gowns and gloves as they work on the front lines to care for patients and battle the disease, helping to spread the gospel of hand-washing, mask-wearing and social distancing. It hasn’t been easy. Day after
impossible day, they’ve served in hospitals that are overpopulated and understaffed. They’ve watched patients on respirators die with only health care workers by their side. They’ve engineered elaborate after-work routines to avoid bringing the virus into their homes. They’ve sacrificed sleep, sanity, and in some cases, even their lives. Because of all it entails, it wouldn’t be surprising to learn that many stopped wanting to pursue the career, but that’s not the case.
Instead of dissuading aspiring nurses, COVID-19 has galvanized them. Despite the pandemic, student enrollment in baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral nursing programs increased by 5.6 percent, 4.1 percent and 8.9 percent, respectively, in 2020, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. “Because of the news and the shortage of PPE (personal protective
THE UNITED STATES WILL HAVE A DEFICIT OF
510,394 REGISTERED NURSES BY 2030 SOURCE: American Journal of Medical Quality
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