UPMC, AHN nursing schools' growth born from affordability, convenience

UPMC and AHN are taking matters into their own hands when it comes to trying to solve the shortage of nurses.

In operation for decades, the nursing schools of UPMC and AHN have reported growing enrollment over the past years.

AHN operates the Citizens School of Nursing at Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer and at West Penn Hospital in Bloomfield. The school has a total of 355 full-time students this fall, the largest combined class in its history. AHN is projecting 405 students next semester. That’s a 44% enrollment increase since 2023.

UPMC’s Schools of Nursing have reported similar growth. Its six schools have an enrollment of 1,024 students this fall, said Brandy Hershberger, chief nursing officer and vice president of academic affairs at UPMC. The schools are at Mercy and Shadyside in Pittsburgh; St. Margaret near Aspinwall; and other locations in Erie, New Castle and Harrisburg.

“In 2023, we decided to increase most of our school’s enrollment by 56%, which we did at UPMC Shadyside, UPMC Mercy and UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing at Harrisburg,” Hershberger said. “The other three campuses followed in 2024 through 2025.

“We invested in expansion of spaces while adding additional faculty positions to support the increase, along with adding a variety of start dates for student cohorts and adding a career ladder for our nursing faculty.”

While not completely solving the problem, the programs’ growth is cutting through the nursing shortage.

According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the U.S. is projected to experience a shortage of registered nurses that will intensify as baby boomers age and the need for health care grows.

“Increased enrollment at the AHN Schools of Nursing will lead to a greater number of trained nurses entering the workforce, bolstering efforts to address the nursing shortage,” AHN Spokeswoman Emily Beatty said.

Adding to the problem is that, across the country, nursing schools are struggling to expand capacity to meet the rising demand for care.

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing outlined contributing factors to the nursing shortage. They include a shortage of nursing school faculty, which restricts nursing program enrollments; a “significant segment” of the nursing workforce nearing retirement age; and insufficient staffing, which raises the stress and burnout levels of nurses. In addition, a growing elderly population signals the need for more nurses.

UPMC and AHN attribute the growth of their programs to flexibility, affordability, hands-on experience in their hospitals and convenience. Most programs take about two years or less to complete, compared to a four-year college program.

That’s what makes it attractive for Citizens student Shelby Greece of New Kensington. She is studying to become a nurse after being a preschool teacher for six years.

“I was in a hospital the first week,” said Greece, a second-year full-time student. “You get to apply what you’re learning in class and take it to the field.

“It’s a two-year program, and it makes it easy for people like me, changing careers,” Greece said. “You get two full years of being able to learn in the classroom and be in a hospital. … You get to step foot in a hospital the minute you start your journey.”

Citizens School of Nursing also offers a part-time program where students can take evening and weekend classes over 32 months. That program launched in January 2024.

Beatty said AHN does not track the number of students pursing a career change. But most of its students in the part-time program are career-change or second-career students. The average age for students enrolled in the full-time program at both schools is 26, she said, while the average age of students enrolled in the part-time program is 35.

At AHN, students earn a diploma in nursing, after which they are eligible to sit for the licensure exam to obtain their RN, Beatty said.

The average RN salary in Pennsylvania is $76,000, according to NurseJournal.org.

Once students graduate from UPMC’s programs, they can take a graduate nurse position with their temporary practice permit and then sit for their nursing exam and become an RN.

Many of its nursing programs are full time for 16 months. One offered at Mercy is full time for 24 months, and one at Shadyside is part time on evenings and weekends.

“It’s very attractive for individuals who are working full time,” Hershberger said. “We do have a lot of nontraditional adult learners that come through our programs.”

Hershberger said 70% to 80% of UPMC graduates are going into roles at the health care network and filling vacancies. One such example is Tashina Hosey, who graduated from the Mercy School of Nursing this summer and recently accepted a position as a critical care nurse at UPMC East in Monroeville.

“I learned how to think like a nurse and to be the kind of nurse I would want if I were a patient,” said Hosey of Homestead. “I am confident that the skills I have gained from my training will help me to provide not only expert care but also empathy to patients and their families.”