New Jersey is facing a potential shortage of 25,000 nurses by 2036, and leaders in the profession say they’re looking at a range of solutions to avert a crisis.
Nationally, demand for registered and licensed practical nurses is expected to exceed supply by 9%, according to the federal Health Resources and Services Administration. In New Jersey, the projected shortage is far more startling, at 25%, the federal data show. That’s an ongoing result of the pandemic, according to Peggy Farrell Daingerfield, president of the New Jersey State Nurses Association.
“We have known this is coming for a while,” Daingerfield told NJ Spotlight News. “COVID-19 exacerbated the issue. Many left the profession. Many retired at that point.”
New nursing school
She added: “We have high burnout rates in New Jersey. Nurses face burnout and stress, leading sometimes to early retirement and oftentimes to career changes. We also have an aging population, and we know that as our residents age, they have more need for health care services.”
Daingerfield says the nurses association is turning to the private sector and government to build the profession’s ranks. RWJBarnabas Health, the state’s biggest academic health care system, in 2022 took over Trinitas School of Nursing in Elizabeth and opened a second campus last year in Oceanport.
The association also has worked with the Legislature. In 2024 the state started offering the Nursing Faculty Loan Redemption Program, which provides relief for nurses who earn advanced degrees and teach college courses.
“That law increased the amount that a nurse faculty can redeem up to $50,000 over five years, so they’re less burdened with debt when they enter the field,” Daingerfield said.
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