AHA supports reintroduction of nursing bill addressing workforce shortage, education

The AHA Dec. 11 expressed support for the reintroduction of the Future Advancement of Academic Nursing, bicameral legislation that would increase nursing school faculty and students, improve U.S. preparedness for pandemics and other public health emergencies, enroll underrepresented students in the nursing workforce and modernize nursing education and infrastructure. The bill was reintroduced yesterday by Sens. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Ill. 

“Nursing faculty are in significant shortage, so much so that about 65,000 applicants to nursing schools who were qualified to attend nursing school had to be turned away, in large part because there were not enough faculty to train them,” said Lisa Kidder Hrobsky, AHA senior vice president for advocacy and political affairs. “This legislation will direct grants to go towards hiring nursing school faculty, modernizing technological and educational infrastructure, and enrolling and retaining students. The AHA thanks Senator Merkley and Rep. Underwood for their strong leadership to support nursing education.”