The Connecticut Center for Nursing Workforce, Inc. (CCNW), in collaboration with the Connecticut Data Collaborative (CTData), is pleased to present the Nursing Education in Connecticut 2023 Data Story. This comprehensive report provides valuable insights into the students and faculty of Registered Nurse (RN) and Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) pre-licensure education programs in Connecticut from January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022.
 
Introducing two significant additions to this data story: the NCLEX pass rate data, a key indicator of program quality, and an index designed to facilitate navigation through the report's various components. These elements are crucial for enhancing your understanding and navigation of the report.
  
This report is a powerful call to action for the nursing community. It serves as a reminder to address critical issues and to collectively advance efforts toward a more diverse and inclusive nursing education environment in Connecticut. 
 
 You can access the full report on the CCNW and CTData Collaborative websites for more details.
 
CCNW:  Data Reports - THE CONNECTICUT CENTER FOR NURSING WORKFORCE, INC. (CCNW)
CTData: Nursing Education Data 2023 — CTData
 
 We sincerely appreciate your time and attention in reviewing this report. We look forward to working together to implement the necessary changes and improve nursing education in Connecticut.
 

The Connecticut Center for Nursing Workforce, Inc. (CCNW), in collaboration with the Connecticut Data Collaborative (CTData), is pleased to present the Nursing Education in Connecticut 2022 Data Story. This comprehensive report provides valuable insights into the students and faculty of Registered Nurse (RN) and Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) pre-licensure education programs in Connecticut from January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022.
 
Key Findings:
 
- Proactive measures are needed to increase student recruitment into baccalaureate degree nursing programs in the state. Recommended strategies include enhanced marketing and outreach efforts, collaboration with high schools and community colleges to provide pathways for students interested in nursing, offering financial incentives, scholarships, grants, or loan forgiveness programs, and providing mentorship and networking opportunities for prospective students.
 
- Our data shows that work needs to be done to increase the recruitment of Black and Hispanic/Latino nursing program faculty to better match the demographics of the student population, particularly in LPN programs. Recommended strategies include implementing targeted outreach and recruitment programs, offering mentorship and support programs, creating a welcoming and inclusive environment within the nursing program, and instituting fair and unbiased hiring practices to support diverse faculty growth.
 
This report serves as a call to action for the nursing community to address these critical issues and work towards a more diverse and inclusive nursing education environment in Connecticut.
 
You can access the full report on the CCNW and CTData websites for more details.
 
https://www.ctcenterfornursingworkforce.com/data-reports.html
https://nursing.ctdata.org/
 
We deeply appreciate your attention and look forward to working together to improve nursing education in Connecticut.
 

To view full report, visit:  http://www.ct.sentinelnetwork.org
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For more information, please contact:
Marcia B. Proto, M.Ed, CAS, Executive Director
 The Connecticut Center for Nursing Workforce, Inc.
 [email protected]
203-494-1121

The numbers leave little doubt that attention and systemic actions are required to address the nursing workforce challenges in Connecticut.
 
In 2022, Connecticut reported 89,819 active licenses for Registered Nurses, but only about half that number -45,014- are actively employed in a nursing capacity in Connecticut.  This is according to a just-completed analysis by the CTData Collaborative and The CT Center for Nursing Workforce, Inc. in September 2023.
 
Nursing is the single largest job category within the field of healthcare.  Licensed nurses provide high-quality, safe, and compassionate care within hospitals, long-term care facilities, homecare settings, and schools, as well as within community-based agencies throughout Connecticut.  It is imperative that Connecticut adopt data-driven strategies to inform programming and innovative solutions to support a robust and sustainable nursing workforce to meet the healthcare needs of all Connecticut residents.
 
It is easy to assume that with more than 89,000 licensed Registered Nurses (RNs), Connecticut has more than a sufficient number of RNs to handle the increased need for care due to the aging of the Connecticut population and anything else that comes our way.  Yet, we now understand, conclusively, that assumption would be wrong. 
 
That is not the only alarm bell ringing.  The data indicates that of the working RNs totaling 51,154, the age range comprises five generations from ages 20 to 96, with a median age of 47; and that 46% of the working RNs are 50 years and older. 
 
The largest age group of working RNs is between 30-39 at 23% or 11,626; followed by 22% between the ages of 50-59; and most alarming, is that only 11% of the total pool of employed RNs are between the ages of 20-29.  Connecticut does not have nearly the number of younger nurses needed to replace those who will be retiring within this decade.