Coalition calls the legislation “an important first step in resolving our nation’s nursing shortage” in letter to Senators Rosen and Collins
WASHINGTON – The Healthcare Workforce Coalition – a diverse group of healthcare stakeholders that advocate collectively for a strong, robust, and resilient healthcare workforce – sent a letter to Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Susan Collins (R-ME) endorsing their Train More Nurses Act (S. 547), bipartisan legislation to address America’s nursing workforce shortage.
“America’s nursing shortage is driven by many factors, from burnout to violence against healthcare workers. Yet one of the most overlooked factors is the simple fact that some U.S. nursing schools are suffering from serious faculty shortages, which inherently undercut their ability to graduate enough nurses to keep up with the growing demand for care,” the Coalition wrote.
The Train More Nurses Act directs the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), as well as the U.S. Secretary of Labor, to conduct a thorough review of nursing grant programs to find opportunities to increase faculty at nursing schools, especially those in underserved areas.
“The Healthcare Workforce Coalition is particularly thankful that your legislation recognizes we cannot grow a more robust nursing workforce without adequate faculty to support greater student capacity. Finding ways to increase nursing school faculty – such as the ways you outline in the Train More Nurses Act – is essential to enrolling more students and training the next generation of nurses,” the letter continued.
Patty Knecht, PhD, RN, ANEF, Chief Nursing Officer of Ascend Learning, a coalition member, stated, “We deeply thank Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Susan Collins (R-ME) for introducing the bipartisan Train More Nurses Act to support nursing education. Tens of thousands of qualified students are turned away from nursing school each year because of the severe faculty shortage. By addressing this issue with outcomes-based solutions, we can expand school capacity, increase pathways into the workforce, and build a sustainable, robust pipeline of practice-ready nurses.”
Michael Bassett, Senior Vice President of Government Relations at AHCA/NCAL added,“We thank Senators Rosen and Collins for reintroducing the Train More Nurses Act, creating more opportunities to increase nursing school faculty and increase pathways for LPNs and RNs. This important legislation will help grow a pipeline of caregivers, and with the population rapidly aging, there isn’t a moment to waste. We look forward to working with Congress to advance common sense-policies, such as the Train More Nurses Act, that develop our long term care workforce and protect access to care.”
From 2020 to 2021, the number of registered nurses in the workforce decreased by over 100,000, signaling serious workforce declines, which the U.S. Chamber of Commerce partially attributes to the education gap including challenges in recruiting new faculty. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), 70.2% of nursing schools nationwide either have vacant full-time faculty positions or need additional faculty. This number will only grow as one-third of the current nursing faculty workforce is expected to retire by this year.
“Please continue to be a vocal champion for smart policies like the Train More Nurses Act that will help strengthen America’s healthcare workforce to ensure improved access and better care for patients and communities nationwide,” the coalition letter concludes.