The Growing Necessity of Nursing Degrees

In today’s rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, the importance of a well-trained and compassionate nursing workforce has never been more critical. As our global population ages, chronic illnesses rise, and healthcare systems grow more complex, the demand for skilled nurses has reached a crucial tipping point. Currently, the nursing profession is grappling with a severe staffing shortage that is placing immense strain on healthcare systems, ultimately affecting the quality of patient care. This is likely due to the growing concern of the inability to care for patients effectively while under the control of insurance companies and corporate entities that have gravitated from a patient-focused healing approach to a profit-over-people model.

Nursing degrees, long recognized as a professional path in healthcare, are now more essential than ever. Not only do they represent a commitment to high-quality patient care, but they are also foundational in addressing one of the most pressing issues facing the healthcare system today: nursing and clinical staff shortage. Recently, the nursing profession has come under fire from the current administration, with the phrase “not professional” being the target of concern. Maybe we should take a few minutes to investigate what nursing education truly is.

Nursing Degrees as Professional Qualifications

A nursing degree is not just a pathway to a job in healthcare; it is a professional degree that equips individuals with the specialized knowledge, skills, and clinical experience necessary to meet the complex needs of a variety of patients. Nurses and Nurse Aides are the backbone of healthcare systems. They provide care across various settings, from hospitals and clinics to long-term care facilities and home health environments.

Nursing education is rigorous, demanding both theoretical understanding and hands-on clinical training. Depending on the level of the degree, like an Associate's Degree in Nursing (ADN), a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), or advanced degrees like a Master’s or Doctorate in Nursing, the curriculum covers a wide range of subjects, from anatomy and pharmacology to ethics, patient care technology, and healthcare management.

This professional education prepares nurses to not only deliver competent and compassionate care but also to take on leadership roles, educate future nurses, and contribute to policy changes within the healthcare system. As the healthcare environment continues to grow and evolve, nurses with advanced degrees are increasingly relied upon to shape the future of healthcare delivery. This is such a crucial point to make that it must be repeated: Nurses with advanced degrees are vital to shape the future of healthcare delivery. So why is this a sudden topic of conversation and debate?

The Nursing Shortage: A Crisis in the Making

The nursing shortage in the U.S. is a well-documented issue that has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the American College of Nurses Association (ANA), the U.S. will experience a shortage of more than 1 million nurses by 2030.(i) The reasons for this shortage are multifaceted, including an aging population, high nurse burnout rates, an increase in the need for healthcare services, a salary inconsistent with inflation, and an insufficient number of nursing faculty to train the upcoming generation of nurses.

The aging Baby Boomer generation is living longer, requiring more medical attention and long-term care.(ii) At the same time, many nurses are retiring at a faster rate than new nurses are entering the profession, which greatly contributes to the gap. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic caused unprecedented levels of stress and burnout for healthcare workers, particularly nurses, many of whom have left the field due to exhaustion, mental health concerns, or better opportunities elsewhere.

The nursing shortage is not just a staffing issue alone- it also profoundly impacts the quality of care patients receive. As the demand for nurses and staff continues to grow, hospitals and healthcare facilities struggle to maintain safe nurse-to-patient ratios. This leads to longer patient wait times, delayed treatments, missed diagnoses, and overall lower quality of care, which can ultimately result in worsened patient outcomes and increased mortality rates.(iii)

The Strain on the Healthcare System

The shortage of nurses has caused healthcare systems across the globe to become increasingly bogged down. Emergency rooms are overcrowded, hospitals are overwhelmed, and healthcare workers are stretched thin. While working in an emergency room from 2023 to 2024, this author observed average nightly wait times of 10 to 12 hours. Fewer nurses and rising patient numbers are leading to longer wait times, reduced healthcare efficiency, and increased errors. Burnout among overworked nurses only intensifies this crisis.

The impact on patients is also significant. As nurses are forced to take on more patients, they are unable to provide the individualized time and attention that each patient deserves. This leads to a decline in patient satisfaction, and in some cases, it can contribute to a rise in hospital-acquired infections and other preventable medical errors.(iv) The strain on the system means that healthcare providers are facing an ever-growing challenge of delivering safe, high-quality care to patients, which has a direct impact on the overall health and safety of communities.

How Nursing Degrees Can Address the Shortage

Expanding the nursing workforce is a critical strategy for resolving the current nursing shortage. Achieving this goal requires targeted investment in education and training initiatives with the goal of enhancing accessibility and affordability of nursing degrees that ensure alignment with healthcare industry demands. The “clarification” that declassifying advanced nursing as a profession is simply to limit the amount of funding that a college or university receives to hand out in grants to future students is simply not the resolution the administration believes it to be. Without a plan in place to lower the overall cost of higher education, upcoming students will be discouraged from pursuing these advanced degrees and education that would enable them to advance and shape the future of medicine.

This week, a nurse educator at a well-known hospital system spoke to a CNA who voiced their concerns over the current debate on nursing being declassified as a profession. The answer that was given? “We need to just encourage prospective students to be more frugal with their money so they can afford school.” This is, quite frankly, offensive and exclusionary to so many different communities. That CNA was raised in a two-parent home in the 90s, with one parent an educator and the other a stay-at-home parent who homeschooled. Education remains one of the lowest-paid professions in America to date.(v) It continues to be challenging to earn a living wage or support a family on a single income, particularly for those in the education profession. Now, considering those that are raised in single parent homes, those raised in the foster care system having aged out (many without access to higher-paying jobs or stable housing and income), and minority groups in general that do not have the luxury of being raised in a financially stable environment, this statement reflects a poor morals and belief system by someone placed in the position of educating future nurses.

One of the ways to address the shortage is to encourage more individuals to pursue nursing as a profession. Another way is to advocate for nursing schools and universities to expand programs that meet this growing demand, and to offer flexible learning options that include online courses to accommodate non-traditional students. Additionally, offering scholarships, loan forgiveness programs, and financial incentives can help make nursing education more accessible and affordable for those interested in learning the profession as a career move.

Furthermore, healthcare systems can encourage the continued education of their nursing staff and educators by offering opportunities for advanced degrees at a lower price, which can prepare them for continued leadership, specialized roles, or advanced teaching positions. Nurse leaders and educators are instrumental in driving change within healthcare organizations and improving patient care outcomes. A well-educated nursing workforce, devoid of implicit or explicit biases, with diverse levels of expertise, is key to addressing both the short-term crisis and long-term sustainability of the healthcare system.

The Call to Action

The nursing shortage is a crisis that requires urgent action from both the public and private sectors. As the need for skilled nurses continues to rise, it is crucial to support nursing education, offer better working conditions, and provide incentives to retain and recruit nurses into the profession. Nursing degrees are not just professional credentials; they are vital to the functioning of the healthcare system, the continued well-being of patients, and the improvement of bedside patient care.

If we are to address the strain on our healthcare systems and ensure that patients continue to receive the high-quality care they deserve, we must prioritize nursing education, support the nursing workforce, advocate for a nursing salary consistent with inflation to provide a consistent and stable work-life balance, and address the shortage head-on. Nurses are not just caregivers; they are critical drivers of the healthcare system, and without them, the foundation of our healthcare system will crumble.

The time to invest in nursing education and workforce development is now. Increasing accessible and affordable educational opportunities is essential for developing a skilled and confident nursing workforce. Strategic investment in advanced nursing education is necessary to address the current national shortage of qualified nursing professionals. Recognizing nursing as a vital profession and promoting continued access to ongoing education will contribute to sustained advancements in medical care and improved patient outcomes.



REFERENCES

( i ) Rosseter, R. (n.d.). Nursing Shortage Fact Sheet. American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Retrieved November 28, 2025, from https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/0/PDFs/Fact-Sheets/Nursing-Shortage-Factsheet.pdf ;Suran, M. (2023, October 23). Overworked and Understaffed, More Than 1 in 4 US Nurses Say They Plan to Leave the Profession. JAMA Medical News, 330(16), 1512-1514. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.10055

( ii ) Caulfield, C. (2020, January 15). How The Aging Population Is Affecting The Nursing Shortage. The Journal of Advance Practice Nursing. Retrieved November 27, 2025, from https://www.asrn.org/journal-advanced-practice -nursing/2228-how-the-aging-population-is-affecting-the-nursing-shortage.html

( iii ) Staiti, A. (n.d.). Safe Staffing: Critical for Patients and Nurses. Retrieved November 29, 2025, from https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d10ef48024ce300010f0f0c/t/671668150baebe20f7f535a8/1729521685765/Sa fe+Staffing+2024.docx.pdf ; See, for example: Spence Laschinger, H. K., & Leiter, M. P. (2006). The impact of nursing work environments on patient safety outcomes: the mediating role of burnout/engagement. The Journal of Nursing Administration, 36(5), 259–267. https://doi.org/10.1097/00005110-200605000-00019; Cimiotti, J.P., Haas, J., Saiman, L. and Larson, E.L. (2006) Impact of Staffing on Bloodstream Infections in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 160, 832-836. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpedi.160.8.832; “MRSA ‘linked to nurse shortages’.” (May 6, 2005). BBC News. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4522141.stm; Page, A.

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( v) Newburger, J. C., & Beckhusen, J. (2022, July 21). Teachers Are Among Most Educated, Yet Their Pay Lags. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 29, 2025, from https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2022/07/teachers-among-most-educated-yet-pay-lags.html

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