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.

​Wednesday, September 27th at 12:00pm ET
Free webinar, registration required
​
With the proposal of a historic federal staffing mandate for nursing homes, many are looking at caps on agency staffing to level the playing field for recruiting nurses and aides. However, even if new legislation passes in your state, it won't take effect overnight, nor will it provide a cure-all for the staffing issues plaguing our industry. In fact, introducing rate caps in the midst of a federal staffing mandate may create a whole new set of challenges.
In this timely webinar, we will assess the current landscape of rate caps, their potential impact on your facility, and provide actionable strategies for maintaining adequate staffing levels without overpaying agencies. Register for this webinar to learn:

• Lessons from states with rate caps and their impact on staffing numbers
• The impact of the CMS staffing mandate on your long-term care facility
• Strategies for reducing your reliance on agency staff
• Best practices for cutting overtime and incentive payments

“Imagining, Innovating and Transforming the National Nursing Workforce”.

​The conference will be held on June 12-14, 2023 at the Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City, Arlington VA and will bring
together nursing, workforce, and leaders from across the country to learn, share and network.
 
Become a Sponsor or Exhibitor Today! Click for More information
 
Submit your Abstract Click for Call for Abstracts
 
Learn more at our Conference Website: https://nursingworkforcecenters.org/annual-conference/
 

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), and Congresswoman Young Kim (R-Calif.), along with Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) introduced the National Nursing Workforce Center Act. The bipartisan and bicameral National Nursing Workforce Center Act would establish a 3-year pilot program through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to support state-based nursing workforce centers. The legislation would also broaden HRSA’s authority to establish Health Workforce Research Centers on any program under the Public Health Service Act and give HRSA clear authority to establish a nursing focused research and technical assistance center under the Health Workforce Research Center Program.
 
“The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated a nation-wide shortage of healthcare workers including registered nurses. As an integral part of our healthcare system, we must do all we can to support the recruiting and retention of nurses across the country – the quality of care depends on it,” said Rep. Blunt Rochester. “That’s why I am proud to introduce the National Nursing Workforce Center Act, a bipartisan & bicameral piece of legislation that will create a pilot program to establish state-based nursing workforce centers to focus on the education and training of nurses. This legislation provides a tangible solution to the ongoing nurse shortage while supporting our current nursing workforce and I’m hopeful Congress will work to pass this legislation as quickly as possible.” 
 
“Our nurses went above and beyond to care for Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic and are now suffering from burnout, exhaustion and unsustainable schedules due to the nursing workforce shortage. Nurses play a vital role in protecting public health and deserve our full support,” said Rep. Kim. “The National Nursing Workforce Center Act will take important, targeted steps to help stabilize and strengthen our nursing workforce. I am proud to work with Rep. Blunt Rochester and Senators Tillis and Merkley on this bipartisan, bicameral effort and will always stand with our heroes in nursing and the patients they support.”  
 
“As the husband of a nurse, I know just how important nurses are to patients, and how their support and advocacy can make a world of difference at some of the most difficult and joyous moments of people's lives,” said Senator Merkley. “This bill will help establish and support local nursing initiatives and workforce centers across the country—like the one we already have here in Oregon—to apply a local approach to the current nursing workforce crisis. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get this bipartisan bill passed.”
 
“Nurses play a crucial role in providing accessible, high-quality care to Americans. Resolving existing nursing workforce challenges, which have been compounded by the pandemic, the increased demand for health care services, and the aging workforce, requires innovative approaches that support and strengthen every aspect of the nursing workforce pipeline,” said Senator Tillis. “I’m proud to co-introduce the bipartisan National Nursing Workforce Center Act that will enhance collaboration and coordination, enabling state and local experts to identify and address unique challenges to increase the resiliency of the nursing workforce.”
 
 
“The National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers is excited about the introduction of the National Nursing Workforce Center Act. This will provide critical funding to support and solidify the foundation of existing nursing workforce centers while providing funding for states without a center to create one. This act would provide technical assistance to smaller and new nursing workforce centers and build a strong network of experts on state-level nursing workforce issues and solutions.  Nursing workforce centers serve as hubs to advance nursing education, practice, leadership, and workforce development at state and local levels using data-driven approaches.” – Lanelle Weems, President, National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers
 
“The Delaware Nurses Association applauds the development and introduction of the National Nursing Workforce Center Act of 2022. Our nation has experienced cyclical nursing workforce challenges for decades, none as pronounced and impactful as today’s challenges. Our nation’s nurses, and those served by us, need enhanced leadership and support to understand and transform our workforce challenges. Nurses remain the largest sector of the nation’s licensed health care workforce and the most trusted, as rated by Americans for over 20 years. The National Nursing Workforce Center Act of 2022 is a novel and innovative approach to creating new and better support for existing state nursing workforce centers that generate impact. With the structure and support provided by this legislation, state nursing workforce centers in the pilot program will be the collaborating, coordinating, leading and impactful entities in their states to stabilize, diversify and grow the nursing workforce.” – Christopher E. Otto, MSN, RN, CHFN, PCCN, CCRN, Executive Director, Delaware Nurses Association
 
 
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated a national shortage of registered nurses, making it critical that policymakers invest in all segments of the nursing workforce: from education and training to retention and leadership development. An important component of this is also having complete, national, standardized data to understand where public policy can help alleviate these shortages. An estimated 500,000 nurses plan to leave the bedside by the end of 2022—creating a shortage of 1.1 million nurses—just as the population of older people, who may require more medical services for complex medical conditions, begins to increase dramatically.
 
The National Nursing Workforce Center Act would help address the shortage by:
 

• Establishing a fully-offset, sustainable pilot grant program through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to support state-based nursing workforce centers; 
• Broadening HRSA’s authority to establish Health Workforce Research Centers on any program under the Public Health Service Act, rather than just Title VII programs authorized under current statute; 
• Giving HRSA clear authority and a mandate to focus on nursing issues by requiring the agency to establish a nursing focused research and technical assistance center under the Health Workforce Research Center Program. 
• Requiring reports assessing this public-private partnership and if and how it should be expanded nationwide.

 
A one-pager of the bill can be found here. 

To maintain a robust and well-prepared nursing workforce, Connecticut must adopt the following Recommendations:  Create a Statewide Nurse-led Collaborative to Better Understand the Current Nursing Workforce: Implement a researched based model to collect quantitative and qualitative healthcare workforce data including Education, Supply and Demand by engaging healthcare providers across the healthcare continuum and various employer settings to regularly assess key healthcare roles and occupations that are in demand. 

#nursesarethesolution #nationalforum #nursingworkforce #ctleaguenursing #ONL #CentertoChampionNursinginAmerica #FutureofNursing #AONL

Limited Capacity of Connecticut’s RN Schools and Programs of Nursing: Our Schools and Programs of Nursing have a very hire rate of student retention at approximately 95% and graduate approximately 2,100 students per year, yet it is not clear how many of these graduates become licensed in Connecticut and remain here to work. 

Reports

• 2021 CT Nursing Education Report- Demographics, Statistics and Recommendations
• ​​​2018 Nursing Education Data

Online Resources

• www.CTCenterForNursingWorkforce.com
  
• Nursing Data Portal (ctdata.org)
  
• https://oadn.org/news/nacnep-report-preparing-nurse-faculty-and-addressing-the-shortage-of-nurse-faculty-and-clinical-preceptors/
  
• https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/dfigital-education-for-building-health-workforce-capacity-978-92-4-000047-6

Lack of a Systemic Plan to Address the Aging of the Nursing Workforce

​As 56% of the Full-Time nursing workforce in Connecticut are over the age of 50, partnerships must be created between State Agencies, Healthcare Trade & Professional Associations and practice settings with the sole focus of workforce strategic planning to address the large number of retirements that will occur over the next 5- 10 years. ​

• Reports
  • Who's Caring for You
  • Promoting and Empowering Beside Nurses

• Web Content-
  • https://www.nursingworkforcecenters.org/
  • www.CTCenterForNursingWorkforce.com
  • Nursing Data Portal (ctdata.org)

#nursesarethesolution #nationalforum #nursingworkforce,#nursingeducation #ctleaguenursing #CTData, #HRSA #AARP

As both RNs and LPNs comprise the largest licensed profession in the health workforce, it is critical that Connecticut dedicate, time, energy and resources to better understand the Education, Supply and Demand dynamics for nursing professionals to ensure that our State can produce the numbers and types of nurses that we will need to provide safe and quality care to our residents. ​