Pair of bills seek to curb nursing shortage
The first bill would create visas to employer nurses in shortage areas, while the second would establish new grant programs.
Photo: John Baggaley/Getty Images
Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives have introduced a pair of bills both aimed at curbing the nursing shortage that many nurses across the country say is getting worse.
The newest bill, introduced by Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), would address the nationwide nursing shortage by making visas available to foreign nurses working in areas where the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has determined there is a nursing workforce shortage.
Specifically, the NURSE Visa Act would create 20,000 nonimmigrant visas per fiscal year to employ nurses in areas where the HRSA has determined there is a nursing workforce shortage, and where the facility has a provider-to-patient staffing ratio in place.
"As our healthcare system grapples with an increasing number of retiring nurses and high demand for skilled nursing professionals, we are approaching a critical tipping point where acute nurse staffing shortages are driving burnout leading to a compounding cycle," said Beyer. "My bill, the NURSE Visa Act, would bolster the nursing workforce by allowing qualified foreign nurses to fill these gaps and ensuring that hospitals and clinics remain adequately staffed to maintain the high standards of care that Americans expect and deserve."
WHAT'S THE IMPACT?
The second bill, the Stop Nurse Shortages Act, was recently reintroduced by U.S. Representatives Haley Stevens (D-Mich ) and Dave Joyce (R-Ohio), and would create a grant program to help nursing schools create, expand or support accelerated nursing degree programs, which are geared towards training those with an undergraduate degree in another field as nurses at an accelerated pace.
To increase the number of graduating nurses through these programs, nursing schools would be able to use grants to hire and retain faculty and preceptors, increase the number of clinical trainings sites, and offer financial assistance to students.
The Stop Nurse Shortages Act is supported by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the American Nurses Association, the National League for Nursing, the American Association for Nurse Anesthesiology, the American Organization for Nursing Leadership, the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, and the Michigan Health and Hospital Association.
"At a time when our country faces a nursing workforce shortage, legislators on both sides of the aisle must come together," said Joyce. "If we don't, America's patient population will pay the price."
THE LARGER TREND
The U.S. has long struggled with nursing workforce shortages, which were further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a Health Workforce Analysis published by the HRSA in March 2024, federal authorities project a shortage of 350,540 full-time registered nurses in 2026 and a shortage of 358,170 full-time RNs in 2031.
A May AMN Healthcare survey showed 80% of nurses think 2024 will be either no better or worse for them than 2023. Forty-two percent said 2024 will be the same for nurses as 2023 and 38% said it will be worse, while only 20% said it will be better.
In a finding the survey found concerning, over-one third of nurses surveyed (35%) said it is extremely likely that they will change jobs in 2024. The majority (55%) said it is very likely or somewhat likely that they will do so.
Jeff Lagasse is editor of Healthcare Finance News.
Email: jlagasse@himss.org
Healthcare Finance News is a HIMSS Media publication.
