Pamela F. Cipriano, Ph.D.

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco found at least 2.5 million more long-term care workers will be needed by 2030 to keep pace with growing care demands. Their findings join a growing list of investigations that cite worsening hiring challenges at a time when many nurses are considering retirement. 

Aging baby boomers are driving the demand surge. But so, too, are healthcare reforms intended to improve care while driving down unnecessary costs, according to analysts. 

“It is essential that we take common sense actions to plan for and invest in the next generations of nurses,” said American Nurses Association President Pamela F. Cipriano, Ph.D. 

Cipriano, who also is
a nurse, said nurse education needs to be bolstered as a hedge against predicted shortages.

Specifically, she’d like to see the development and recruitment of more nursing professors. She added that the number of clinical training sites for nursing students needs to increase. 

An American Association of Colleges of Nursing statement has called for more education. The statement seeks workplace improvements and quicker incorporation of technology. 

“Failure to consider the relationships among these aspects limits the full appreciation of the nursing workforce shortage complexity,” the statement notes.