Rutgers-Camden Nursing Program Reports Record Enrollment Amid Statewide Shortage

Rutgers University-Camden's School of Nursing enrolled its largest incoming class in the program's history this spring, part of a coordinated statewide push to train more nurses as South Jersey hospitals report some of the most severe staffing gaps in the region.

The Camden campus added 40 new clinical seats this year by expanding partnerships with three area hospital systems, which agreed to host additional student rotations in exchange for priority hiring access to graduates. University officials say the expansion was necessary given how far demand has outpaced supply in recent admissions cycles.

"We're regularly rejecting three qualified applicants for every one we can accept, and that ratio doesn't make sense when hospitals ten minutes from campus are running short-staffed," said Rutgers-Camden Nursing Program Director Yolanda Briggs. "Expanding clinical placement capacity was really the only way to responsibly grow enrollment."

New Jersey Hospital Association data cited by the university shows South Jersey facilities currently report vacancy rates for registered nurse positions well above the statewide average, driven partly by retirements and partly by nurses relocating to states with lower costs of living. Rutgers-Camden officials say graduates from the program have historically stayed in the South Jersey region at high rates compared to nursing graduates from out-of-state schools.

The university says it plans a further expansion of clinical partnerships next year, contingent on securing additional simulation lab funding from the state.