When someone decides to become a nurse, their educational options are plentiful and varied. Opportunities range from pre-licensure nursing programs that prepare students for entry to practical nursing and registered nursing practice to additional post-licensure educational options available for nurses seeking to advance or specialize in nursing after their initial licensure.

Georgia is no exception regarding the breadth of nursing education options. Yet, the state lacks a comprehensive list of programs to help prospective students easily identify the opportunities and find the pathway best for them.

To meet this need, the Georgia Nursing Workforce Center has released a report on Georgia’s nursing education program offerings.

According to the report, 63 colleges and universities across Georgia offer pre-licensure nursing programs, including 24 practical nursing programs, and 60 associate, 48 bachelor’s, and three master's degree programs.

Twenty-six Georgia colleges and universities provide post-licensure programs, including 18 RN-BSN, 61 master’s degree, 54 post-master’s/graduate certificate, and 51 doctoral programs. Specialty areas across post-licensure programs include advanced practice nursing (nurse anesthesia, nurse midwifery, and nurse practitioner programs) and non-advanced practice nursing (such as nursing informatics, nursing education, and leadership) tracks. Of the 51 doctoral programs in nursing across Georgia, 46 are Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs, four are PhD, and one is an EdD in Nursing Education.

According to Chelsea Hagopian, DNP, APRN, AGACNP-BC, executive director of the Georgia Nursing Workforce Center, a comprehensive list of nursing education program offerings in the state is important to those interested in becoming nurses or specializing in or advancing in nursing in Georgia.

“Disparate lists and siloed collection of nursing education data make it challenging for future and practicing nurses to learn about all of their options to become nurses, advance and find their fit in nursing, and discover the educational pathways that align with their interests and circumstances,” says Hagopian, who also serves as an assistant clinical professor at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University.

She added that there is not currently a single body that collects, publishes or maintains a comprehensive repository of data on all nursing education programs in the state. By making all of the nursing education programs offered in Georgia visible and collaborating with key parties across Georgia to prepare the report, the report helps toward a priority goal of the Georgia Nursing Workforce Center to establish a robust infrastructure for the consistent, timely, long-term collection and sharing of nursing education program data for the state.

“This matters for nursing schools and policymakers to make good decisions about addressing nursing education needs, which will strengthen workforce sustainability,” she says.

The report recommends harmonizing the collection of nursing education data, creating a searchable dashboard of nursing education programs in the state of Georgia, and exploring factors that impact a prospective student's eligibility for admission into a nursing education program, success in the program, and ultimate securing of a nursing license in the state they plan to practice.