Cincinnati.com: Demand for nurses outstrips supply. So why can't Cincinnati area nursing schools keep up?
UC College of Nursing interim dean says a nursing shortage means a faculty shortage
A variety of factors are contributing to a nationwide shortage of nurses. Those factors include burnout spurred by the pandemic and a large wave of retirements due to the aging of Baby Boomers.
Cincinnati.com reported that to help fill the gaps, employers are turning to nursing programs to churn out more graduates, but there's a problem: nursing shortages mean nursing teacher shortages, too, and some programs just don't have the capacity to bring in more students.
Denise Gormley, PhD, interim dean of the UC College of Nursing was one of those interviewed for the story.
Denise Gormley, PhD, interim dean of the UC College of Nursing/Photo/Colleen Kelley/UC Creative + Brand
"We're seeing more and more retirements," Gormley said. "It is an issue and I think it very well could get worse. If we've got a nursing shortage, then we're going to have a faculty shortage. Because our faculty have to be nurses."
At UC, Gormley said nursing is the most popular major among undergraduate applicants. The program is expanding to hopefully offer 180 direct admissions in fall of 2022, compared to the typical 150 freshmen admitted to the nursing major each year – "which we hope will help with the (nursing) shortage, over time, at least locally and regionally," Gormley said. The university had been planning to expand for years before COVID-19 exacerbated the nursing shortage.
Lead photo of UC College of Nursing students and instructor/Colleen Kelley/UC Creative + Brand
Next Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is classified as a Research 1 institution by the Carnegie Commission and is ranked in the National Science Foundation's Top-35 public research universities. UC's medical, graduate and undergraduate students and faculty investigate problems and innovate solutions with real-world impact. Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
New cohort of nursing students get ready to join co-ops
May 14, 2026
A new chapter is beginning for more than 100 University of Cincinnati College of Nursing rising seniors as they embark on one of the most distinctive experiences in undergraduate nursing education: the UC Nursing Co-op Program. The incoming cohort will fan out across Cincinnati's premier healthcare institutions, stepping into some of the most dynamic and specialized clinical environments in the region. Placement sites include UC Medical Center (UCMC), West Chester Hospital, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) Burnet, College Hill, and Liberty campus.
Will a gas tax help lower prices at the pump?
May 14, 2026
WCPO recently reported on Kentucky and Indiana’s steps to combat surging gas prices, cutting and suspending state gas taxes, respectively. UC economist Michael Jones explained the impact on Cincinnati.
Is a colonoscopy painful?
May 13, 2026
The University of Cincinnati's Susan Kais, MD, assistant professor of clinical medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in the College of Medicine and UC Health gastroenterologist, recently appeared on the ARC Cincinnati morning program on Local 12/WKRC-TV to answer common questions from viewers about colonoscopies and to dispel myths.