As nurse leaders try to solve for workforce shortages, it's important to take a look at the beginning of the pipeline: education.
Many nursing programs face struggles with faculty shortages, which in turn limit enrollment, and nursing students nowadays have to worry about higher cost of living and high tuition rates. However, nursing education doesn't stop at graduation, and many nurses continue their education and get advanced degrees.
This year, HealthLeaders highlighted several stories of health systems who are innovating in the nursing education space, and how their programs will fill gaps in the nursing workforce.
Here are the top four nursing education stories in 2025.
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What Makes a Nurse Ready to Practice? - Read here.
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CommonSpirit's New Grad Nurse Residency Program Is Rejuvenating Transition to Practice - Read here.
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How SSM Health Is Lowering Barriers, Expanding Access to Nursing Education - Read here.
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'Care Begins at the Front Door': How the ENA is Boosting Emergency Nurse Education - Read here.
G Hatfield is the CNO editor for HealthLeaders.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
A recent NCSBN study found that out of 200 nurses surveyed, 74% stated that it takes about 12 months to be ready to practice autonomously.
CommonSpirit Health's National Nurse Residency Program began in February 2023, and so far, there are 69 facilities that have implemented the program, and 15 others that have adopted the program but haven't hired any new graduate nurses yet.
The SSM Health Aspiring Nurse Program aims to expand access for 'non-traditional students' who are already in the workforce or who have family obligations or caretaking responsibilities.
Key topics in the Emergency Nursing Triage Education Program include critical thinking and decision-making, the emergency severity index and related documentation, effective communication, and real-life triage scenarios.