Copyright© 2007 by School Services of California, Inc.

                                      Volume 20                   For Publication Date: June 8, 2007             No. 13

Increasing Nurses in California 

The number of registered nurses has not kept up with demand in the state of California, according to a report released by the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO). For years, there has been research that documents the nursing shortage in the state. The state needs to continue its efforts to increase the number of nurses to meet the projected need.  

The LAO’s report, Improving State Nursing Programs, indicates that the state faces a shortfall of 12,000 full-time registered nurses in seven years unless public colleges admit and graduate more nursing students. 

According to the report, only 11,000 out of 28,410 applicants were accepted for community college or university nursing programs. Paul Steenhausen, LAO analyst, said, “The report is intended to inspire the Legislature to consider ways to expand nursing schools and teaching staff and to increase student enrollment and graduation rates.”   

With 70 nursing programs within the community college system, the LAO recommends that two-year colleges be given bonuses increasing their budgets for increasing the number of nursing graduates. According to the LAO, the Legislature should give community colleges significant flexibility in how they use nursing funds to enhance nursing student outcomes.   

Because one-fourth of community college nursing students fail to graduate, the LAO report recommends the state reward successful training of nursing students through the use of bonuses—$5,000 extra for every student completion above the current projected levels. In addition, because community colleges offer the majority of nursing slots in the state, the LAO also recommends the Legislature provide new discretionary Proposition 98 funds solely for community colleges through a base increase over the next several years. Under this recommendation, community colleges potentially would get an extra $3 million in funding for producing 600 additional graduates. Lastly, the LAO also recommends that the Legislature enact statutes that would better align the admissions process at community college nursing programs with qualifications for student success through a comprehensive approach to identify best applicants (campuses should no longer rely solely on the lottery system). 

The Analyst points out that there are 230,000 registered nurses working full or part-time in California. Most registered nurses in California are female (91%). The report indicates that, by 2014, the state will need 40,000 more full-time nurses to meet demands of the population growth. However, the state’s nursing ranks under the current structure are expected to grow by only 28,000, leaving a 12,000 hole unless the state begins to make some changes to its nursing admission and graduation requirements.   

The report makes numerous suggestions on ways to close the gap. According to the LAO, the state can increase the number of FTE nurses by doing the following:

• Nurses should work a slightly longer work week. If all working nurses under the age of 50 increased the average time worked per week by just one hour, the state’s supply of FTE would increase by almost 4,000 by 2014.

• Employers should recruit more registered nurses from other states to work in California.

• Older nurses should consider delayed retirement.

• Hospitals should put together incentive packages to attract the 7,000 actively licensed registered nurses in the state who are currently employed in a non-nursing field back into direct patient care.

• Funding should be provided to increase enrollment slots at the University of California, California State University, and California Community Colleges.

• Eligibility should be expanded for the Nursing Faculty Loan Forgiveness Program.

• Nursing faculty should be exempted from restrictive hiring policies.

• Fuller use of existing facilities should be encouraged.

• Nursing completion bonuses should be provided to community colleges.

• Nursing program admission policies at California community colleges should be changed.

Go to www.lao.ca.gov to see a copy of the report.

—Jamillah Moore, Ed.D.