Improving Nursing Program Eligibility

The demand for trained nurses is currently at an all-time high, and Carroll College is on the front lines of filling the demand for tomorrow’s nurses. Issues arise in the advancement process from pre-nursing into the official nursing program; where delays or roadblocks can lead to unfilled seats. A significant number of pre-nursing students are not eligible to enter the nursing program on schedule, often preventing them from graduating within four years. This can result in students changing majors or, worse, leaving Carroll College altogether. We used the D-M-A-I-C Six Sigma methodology to identify the key variables which lead to these negative outcomes and to answer whether the first-year course structure is impeding the advancement into the nursing program.