STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Nurses around the U.S. are getting burned out by the COVID-19 crisis and quitting, yet applications to nursing schools are rising, driven by what educators say are young people who see the global emergency as an opportunity and a challenge. Nationally, enrollment in bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral nursing programs increased 5.6% in 2020 from the year before to just over 250,000 students, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. The higher enrollment could help ease a nursing shortage that existed even before COVID-19. But the increase, combined with the departure of too many experienced nurses whose job is to help train students, has left many nursing programs without the ability to expand.
Nursing schools see applications rise, despite COVID burnout
