I have two passions in life: nursing and teaching. Both involve cultivating strong relationships, caring for people, and empowering them to be their best selves.
After practicing bedside nursing and working in roles ranging from charge nurse to administration, I eventually decided I wanted to go back to school to earn an advanced degree. During the pandemic, I earned my Masters of Science in Nursing Education and have been a nurse educator at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Washington ever since.
But as America’s nursing programs strive for success, it’s a challenge to graduate enough students who are prepared and ready to enter practice. Not because there’s nobody interested in becoming a nurse, but because the demand for care is growing so fast, it’s almost impossible to close the gap.
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In my home state of Pennsylvania, we have one of the oldest populations, and as we live longer, our health needs tend to grow too. At precisely the time our parents and grandparents require more care, vital nursing services are harder to come by. That’s because Pennsylvania is experiencing one of the worst nursing shortages in the country.
Put simply, we need more nurses. We must fundamentally address the root cause of the problem: the need to educate a new generation of nursing students. Schools are working hard to do our part, but there are serious barriers that only our leaders in Washington can help address.
Here are the main challenges to the nation’s nursing pipeline and what can be done about them:
- Nursing schools have limited resources to admit more students. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, “U.S. nursing schools turned away 80,162 qualified applications from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2024 due to an insufficient number of faculty, clinical sites, classroom space, clinical preceptors, and budget constraints.”
- The U.S. needs more nurse educators. Over 7% of nurse faculty positions nationwide remain vacant, and public colleges and universities are hit hardest. Most of these roles require advanced degrees, but pursuing them is not only time-consuming but often entails serious pay trade-offs, as nurses tend to make more money providing direct care than they do in classrooms. That makes expanding affordable access to advanced degrees even more important. Nurse educators are passionate and want to make a difference, but sometimes it is hard to cover the student loan debt required.. Finally, our field is getting older, and it is difficult to recruit young nurse educators as retirements pile up.
- Students need more support than ever. Pandemic-era learning loss caused many young students to fall behind. Some struggle with their grades in high school and may not feel ready to apply to rigorous nursing programs. Others may need remediation in college and extra testing support. To give students the increased academic support they need, it requires more hands-on, one-on-one services throughout the program.
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If we want more nurses, we need more nursing students, which means creating the educational infrastructure needed to help them succeed. One of the most important things Congress can do to address these challenges is to invest more in Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs. This includes the Nurse Faculty Loan Program, which nurse educators rely on to advance their careers.
Additionally, doctorally prepared nurses are critical because they address gaps in both healthcare and education. Nurse practitioners are increasingly providing primary care, particularly in rural and medically underserved communities experiencing physician shortages. Additionally, 80.9% of nurse faculty vacancies nationwide require or prefer candidates with doctoral degrees. With increased access to financial support, such as the Nurse Faculty Loan Program, more nurses can advance their careers and address these workforce gaps.
Beyond the critical role of nurse faculty, some students choose to participate in the Nurse Corps Scholarship and Loan Repayment Programs to help them achieve their higher education dreams. These programs are vital, providing support to nurses on their educational and career journeys, with the requirement that they commit to working in high-need areas experiencing especially acute nurse shortages. As our population continues to age and demand more complex care, programs like these are needed more than ever.
Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs are the backbone of America’s nursing pipeline. I urge Congress to advocate for nurses and to appropriate more funding for Title VIII programs. Ultimately, this modest investment in our nation’s workforce will pay dividends for years to come and help more Americans get the care they need quicker and closer to home.
Kelly Preston, MSN, RN, AHSC, is an Advanced Educator and the N301 Course Coordinator at UPMC Washington School of Nursing.
Photo: Tom Werner, Getty Images