There are both high hopes and big concerns at the Center for Nursing Equality and Excellence at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing.
Rep. Natalie Zeleznikar, R-Two Harbors, hopes the center, known as CNEE, will help address what’s being called a “nursing workforce crisis.”
“The experts say it’s pretty significant,” she says. “We really need to increase the nursing workforce in the state and our region for sure.”
With a growing shortage, Zeleznikar hopes $500,000 in funding will bolster apprenticeship programs for would-be nurses.
“I think everybody in the state of Minnesota understands that we need to grow our nurses and make sure we have basic mentoring and apprenticeship programs so they have the confidence to start their first job,” Zeleznikar said.
In a Minnesota House committee meeting earlier this week, Elaine Vandenburgh with the Minnesota State HealthForce Center of Excellence explained the nurse workforce shortage is already having an impact.
“It’s already affecting patient care, putting a strain on the current workforce and limiting access to services across the state,” Vandenburgh said. “It’s going to get worse without action.”
The state’s Department of Employment and Economic Development is projecting Minnesota will add about 3,600 new registered nurses to the workforce through 2032.
But the agency expects about 26,800 openings because of worker retirement or other reasons.
“Because we have a very large aging population in Minnesota, as does the country,” Zeleznikar explains. “We’re just starting to see the baby boomers turn 80.”
A new report by the Minnesota Department of Health shows in 2019 about 20% of the RN workforce were 55 or older; by 2024, that number dropped to 14%.
The Minnesota Nurses Association, which represents about 25,000 members, says there are other factors for people leaving.
“This $500,000 is great,” notes MNA President Chris Rubesch. “I’m happy we’ll have more highly educated nurses, but we need to keep them in the workforce.”
He says members have told him they’ve left because of burnout, working conditions and pay issues.
“You can’t just continue to put in without listening to the workers who are currently working,” Rubesch explains. “Otherwise, you’re not plugging the hole — we’re just putting more water into the bucket.”
The latest state data shows there are more than 169,000 active nursing licenses in Minnesota.
The Minnesota Hospital Association released a statement welcoming Zeleznikar’s effort: “Hospitals have made extensive efforts to build nursing capacity in recent years, and that has paid off with rising numbers of nurse licenses in Minnesota. The bill supports the next generation of nurses, would help more Minnesotans into that workforce pipeline, and helps improve health care access for everyone in the state.”
Zeleznikar says her bill passed in the committee with bipartisan support. Now she says it could be heading to a vote on the House floor.
She acknowledges it’s a small start but is hoping for more funding in coming years.
“People want to know you’re going to get health care regardless of your ZIP code,” Zeleznikar says. “And so if you’re in an ambulance, you’re going into a hospital or nursing home, you need solid health care across the state, and nursing is a fundamental piece.”
For Related Stories: Minnesota Legislature Nursing Richard Reeve University of Minnesota