NEW REPORT PUBLISHED ON CONNECTICUT NURSING EDUCATION SUPPLY

https://nursing.ctdata.org/
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Since 2013, the Connecticut Center for Nursing Workforce, Inc. has been the catalyst in helping the nursing profession in Connecticut to better understand the composition of the nursing workforce who care for our residents. On a bi-annual basis, The Connecticut Center of Nursing Workforce, Inc. (CCNW) received "sample" nursing workforce supply data from the National FORUM of State Nursing Workforce Centers (National FORUM) and conducted an analysis of this statistically significant supply data; and subsequently published infographics on nurse demographics that was distributed and presented to healthcare stakeholders throughout Connecticut.

Beginning in 2018, CCNW partnered with the Connecticut Department of Public Health and the Connecticut Data Collaborative and was able to access a complete dataset of all Connecticut Registered Nurses (RNs) and Licensed Practical Nurse (LPNs). This dataset is a much more robust and valuable pool of data as it provides actual responses from those RNs and LPNs who are licensed within Connecticut.

A new analysis by the Connecticut Data Collaborative and the Center for Nursing Workforce reveals that of the 86,483 nurses that have a current license in Connecticut, only about half that number - 44,086 - are actively practicing in Connecticut. Both COVID restrictions and a decrease in available clinical placements needed by RN and LPN students to graduate encumbers the expansion of nursing schools in Connecticut and nationwide.  Of that number, 36,953 are registered nurses (RN) and 7,130 are licensed practical nurses (LPN). Of the 42,397 who are licensed but not actively practicing in Connecticut, approximately 20% practice in another state, with the highest number working in New York (1,297), Massachusetts (918), and Florida (591).

​The data indicates that 7,917 nurses are age 60 or older, while only 4,390 are under age 30. The data also shows that RNs and LPNs in Connecticut have an overall median age of 47. RNs are most likely to be in the 50-59 age band, while LPNs are most likely to be in the 30-39 age band.

“An alarm bell should be ringing. Connecticut does not have nearly the number of younger nurses needed to replace those who will be retiring within this decade. We must monitor and act on these data and current trends, which have been exacerbated by the pandemic,” said Marcia Proto, M.Ed, CAS, Executive Director of the Connecticut Center for Nursing Workforce (CCNW) and the Connecticut League for Nursing (CLN). “We really haven’t moved the needle on what needs to be done.”
In the state workforce, the majority of nurses identified as White (75%), followed by Black (12%) and Hispanic or Latino (6%).* Overall, there were 40,401 responses (33,920 RNs and 6,481 LPNs) to the race and ethnicity data survey question.
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“This is what informed, data-based decision-making is all about. The data revealed by this project is clearly important as it impacts public health, education and jobs, and the partnership forged between CCNW and CTData reaffirms both organizations’ commitments to make data easily accessible and encourages stakeholders to use the data for action and strengthen their strategies,” said Michelle Riordan-Nold, Executive Director of the Connecticut Data Collaborative.

The Connecticut Data Collaborative (CTData) is a public-private partnership that advocates for the public availability of open and accessible data, serving nonprofits, advocates,
policymakers, community groups, and funders in using data to drive policy and improve programs and services, budgeting and decision making at the state, regional and local levels.
Of the RNs actively practicing in Connecticut, 55% have earned a baccalaureate degree, 20% have earned a master’s degree and 2% have earned a doctoral degree. Among LPNs, who are not required to obtain an associate’s or baccalaureate degree, 18% have earned an associate’s, 7% a baccalaureate and 1% a master’s degree. LPNs are required to graduate from a state-approved certificate program and pass a national licensing exam to receive their LPN license.
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Only about 1 in 4 LPNs have pursued higher education after receiving their license, which points to one of the workforce challenges facing Connecticut. Among students pursing nursing, 66% of those in RN programs are White and 23% are Black or Hispanic. The numbers are substantially different in LPN programs, where 51% of students are Black, 20% are Hispanic and 17% are White. Many individuals who have earned an LPN, and who might otherwise be interested in advancing to RN, are unable to do so because of their own limited financial resources or the limited availability of slots in RN programs in Connecticut. That prevents the state from achieving greater diversity among RNs and limits the total number of RNs working in Connecticut, in a variety of healthcare settings, amidst increasing need.
Among the many challenges facing Connecticut in its efforts to bring new nurses into the field is the fact that prospective nurses in Connecticut’s institutions of higher education must complete clinical hours in order to earn their academic degree. While attaining those hours has long been a challenge because of limited hours available at hospitals, the acute situation facing hospitals during the past two years has further reduced the number of hours available to students for clinical experience. That has, in turn, limited the number of students that can be accepted into nursing programs, even as the demand for graduates continues to grow.
“Connecticut is experiencing critical shortages in healthcare positions, like we did nearly two decades ago, with double digit vacancy rates for nurses at our hospitals,” Proto added. “With nursing the largest job category within healthcare in Connecticut, the financial cost to employers and our state to address this type of shortage is significantly impacting providers and beginning to compromise access to care for our residents. We must act now.”

Although “new seat” capacity in nursing programs in Connecticut increased slightly – by nearly 100 – between 2019 and 2020, the number of qualified nursing applicants increased by more than 1,100 over that same period. Statewide, seat capacity in RN programs is 2,812 students, thus the "first-day" student enrollment represented only 24% of qualified student applicants. The data suggest that due to near capacity enrollments and limited attrition in state's RN programs, the only way that Connecticut can increase annual graduation numbers for the RN would be to expand enrollments, which will require both additional faculty and the availability of additional clinical hours.

“Two years ago, we collaborated to issue a report that stressed the importance of devoting state resources to better understand the education, supply and demand dynamics for nursing professionals,” Proto pointed out, “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. If anything, that imperative is even more acute today. ”
Connecticut has the 7th oldest population in the nation, which underscores the need for medical professionals, particularly nurses. Yet, as the population grows older, the number of nurses is not keeping pace. The data analysis includes an interactive map of Connecticut’s 169 municipalities, comparing the number of nurses with the percentage of residents over age 65, as a means of exploring the Connecticut’s growing gap.
Nearly two-thirds of nurses (63.7%) in Connecticut work as staff nurses, followed by nurse managers (11%), and other health-related positions (10%) and advanced practice nurse (7.9%). Among LPNs, 80% are staff nurses, compared with 60.8% of RNs. Nearly 20% of RNS are either nurse managers (11.8%) or advanced practice nurses (9.2%).

The most common work setting is in a hospital, where half of nurses are employed. Work settings differ greatly between RNs and LPNs, with RNs most likely to work in a hospital (57%) or ambulatory care (13%) while LPNs work predominantly in long term care (63%) and home health (17%). LPNs are also more likely to work in community health, correctional facilities, and public health settings. Similar to national statistics, over 9 in 10 nurses in Connecticut identify as female and this is consistent for both RNs and LPNs.
CTData empowers an ecosystem of data users by democratizing access to public data and building data literacy skills. CTData serves residents, nonprofits, policymakers, and funders in using data to drive policy, program, and service improvements. More than 200 data sets are now accessible to the public on the CT Data website, including a wide array of subjects and policy categories.

​To see the latest data, visit http://nursing.ctdata.org

The National FORUM of State Nursing Workforce Centers is excited to announce the details of their 2022 Annual Conference.
 
Swing For The Fences:  Changing The Nursing Workforce Game
June 20-22, 2022  |  Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas, NV
  
The Connecticut Center for Nursing Workforce (CCNW) is one of the lead sponsors for this year's 3-day event.  Come Join Us!
 
The 2022 Annual Conference will bring together healthcare leaders from across the country to change the nursing workforce game.  Join us as sponsors to engage attendees as they learn and discuss innovative ways to approach: recruitment & retention; models of nursing education; expansion of public health; nurse well-being; and Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI)  through the lens of data.
 
Sponsorship, exhibitor, and advertising opportunities to connect with this audience are available to fit any budget. You can view all the opportunities on the conference website or review the prospectus. If you have any questions, please contact our Sponsorship & Exhibitor Co-chairs.
 
Marcia Proto at Marcia@CTCenterForNursingWorkforce.com 
Laura Chandler at Laura@ColoradoNursingCenter.org

​Over the past decade, much emphasis has been placed on the importance of academic progression for the nursing workforce.
 
Scholars and health experts agree that higher levels of education increase delivery of quality patient centered care across all health care settings. However, obtaining and analyzing equitable national and state data regarding academic progression trends in nursing is no easy task. Multiple sources and researchers have benchmarked and cross walked key data sources over the years.
NEPIN, the National Education Progression in Nursing collaborative, sought to locate and evaluate a single data source to equitably interpret current trends in academic progression. Created as an expansion of the former Academic Progression in Nursing (APIN) initiative of the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation, NEPIN is the only national entity solely devoted to ensuring that nurses have access to higher levels of education and achievement. Operating under the fiscal oversight of the OADN Foundation (a federally recognized 501c3 nonprofit organization), NEPIN’s stakeholders understand that successful patient outcomes depend on a well-equipped and sufficiently supported nursing workforce.

This 2021 Report explores the state of Registered Nurse (RN) and Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) pre-licensing nursing education in Connecticut and highlights:
 

• Student & Faculty Demographics at each of the Connecticut RN and LPN Schools & Programs of Nursing,
• Applications rates, educational capacity, and graduation rates, and
• Recommendations to expand the Nursing Education Pipelines in Connecticut

 
The report was created in collaboration with the Connecticut League for Nursing (CLN) and the Connecticut Data Collaborative (CDC). The data used in this Nursing Education Report was created from an annual survey the CLN disseminated to all the nursing schools and programs in Connecticut.

Your State’s Governing Bodies-  in Connecticut, we have our Governor’s Office and Governors Workforce Council, the Office of Workforce Strategy, the Department of Labor and Apprenticeship Division, the Connecticut Department of Public Health
In March of 2020, COVID was on our doorstep which accelerated dollars that would become available from the Federal government to the State of Connecticut. The Federal government under the CARES Act were provided to not only support the provision of health care and education but support all those businesses and individuals impacted by COVID. 
Connecticut was in receipt of $1.1 billion.  In addition to these relief funds through the CARES Act, new dollars are being earmarked for Connecticut through the American Rescue Plan Act- called ARPA. Of the ARPA monies received, $70 million is earmarked for workforce development across all sectors.
Summary & CLOSING:

• With so MANY reports, studies, executive briefings, etc.; it is important to cull the information and develop a workforce development document for YOUR State.  More importantly, create a document that can be UNDERSTOOD by a non-nurse and/or non-healthcare professional as these are the individuals that will be reading and vetting your proposal for possible funding.
• Lastly, reach out and schedule a meeting with your Development, Advancement of Philanthropic Offices to identify a grant writer who can research the resources and websites that I shared, engage your network or multi-sector partners that I highlighted and then connect with the WiBS or State Governing bodies to learn more about the ARPA dollars and other low hanging fruit funding opportunities to support your work!
• NURSES are the Solution… now its our job to let everyone else know that too!

​The role of the boards is to support workforce development in their specific region by attracting federal and state funding to meet employer needs.

• In CT, we have five workforce boards representing each region of our state.  The CLN had a contract with the Board in Bridgeport, CT.  For over 10 years, the board called The Workplace, Inc. implemented a Health Career Academy with the goal of attracting individual from the Bridgeport to Greenwich communities wishing to enter the healthcare workforce.  The Workplace, Inc. received $25 million from the Federal DOL and HHS offering free education, preparation, and job placement in one of (10) entry level healthcare roles…the RN was also included. 

 

• In Massachusetts, the structure is a bit different, there is an overarching group called MassHire and the Executive Director is Cheryl Scott. Massachusetts has 16 local boards throughout the state. You can find the location nearest you by going to Mass.gov and search for MassHire.

 

• In New Hampshire there is an organization called New Hampshire Works. It's a state workforce innovation board and there are 12 regional sites throughout the state. The individual running the Program is Roxie Severance. Find locations of your local boards at: www.NHsectorpartners.org

 

• In Vermont, one hub exists for the Vermont Workforce Board.  Information is shared on Registered Apprenticeships and how to become an eligible training partner to receive WOIA dollars. I did not see any local or regional sites listed. Site can be accessed at: www.VWDB.Vermont.gov.

 

• In Rhode Island the entity is Real Jobs RI.  There are two state workforce investment boards in addition to the overarching Governor’s Workforce Board. Information can be found at www.GWB.ri.gov

 
Very important to get your name out to these entities.  Boards can be the fiduciary to large grants you wish to secure via HRSA, HHS, etc. and take care of all the reporting… This is what they are good at.  Visit www.GRANTS.gov to see the hundreds of federal grants available for healthcare & nursing each year!

The National FORUM of State Nursing Workforce Centers, Inc. (The FORUM) is to collect accurate state-specific data pertaining to:  Determining the capacity of Nursing Education Programs at the RN and LPN levels via their MDS for Education; Understanding the Supply of Nurses via the MDS for Supply Survey; and Identifying the Workforce Demand identified of healthcare facilities and organizations that employ nurses via the MDS for Demand.  Website:  https://www.nursingworkforcecenters.org/
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Only CT and Vermont have entities in their states that are members of the FORUM.  CT would be happy to work with MA, NH, and RI to establish a connection with an existing organization within your states undertaking data work to become a member of the Forum.

The WHO report cites critical research and references as to why and how Simulation as well as other Virtual learning technologies can transform learning and better prepare our students to meet national competencies and successfully transition to practice thereby limiting the human capital and financial resources that our healthcare settings spend to onboard the new nurse. 
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Access the WHO Report at:  https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/dfigital-education-for-building-health-workforce-capacity-978-92-4-000047-6

This Report was prepared by the National Advisory Council on Nursing Education and Practice.

In their 17th Report to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the US Congress this past December, is meant to inform the Secretary and Congress on Policy matters arising in the administration of Title VIII Funding pertaining to nursing workforce, nursing education and nursing practice.
Nursing Education is in crisis, and it will take ALL of us to stem the tide and expand our educational pipeline capacity!

​Report can be found at:  https://oadn.org/news/nacnep-report-preparing-nurse-faculty-and-addressing-the-shortage-of-nurse-faculty-and-clinical-preceptors/