CHA News

Report Provides Educational Solutions, Regional Forecasts for California RN Workforce

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A new report identifies the clinical capacity of and training needs for the state’s nursing workforce, particularly RN surpluses and shortages by region. The report is the culmination of a landmark initiative to identify innovative solutions for the most challenging nursing education issues facing California.

Over the past several years, CHA has worked with the California Board of Registered Nursing and HealthImpact — as well as multiple stakeholders representing academia, health care providers, labor groups and government —  to develop and prioritize solutions using data on current and future nursing supply and demand, as well as survey responses. This collaboration has strengthened the California nursing community’s commitment to working together on solutions that modernize nursing education and practice.

Among the issues highlighted in the report are a lack of standardization in educational programs and difficulty securing placement/immersion experiences for pre-licensure students. The report also identifies priorities in general areas of nursing curricula, systems of distribution and on-boarding of students, program approval processes, student nurses’ exposure to the full continuum of care, and use of simulation. Underpinning all the priorities is the importance of multi-stakeholder involvement in implementation activities, reflecting stakeholders’ shared goal of well-prepared nurses.