(Opinion) A nursing pipeline is health care’s lifeline

The country’s declining pool of health care workers is a threat to the functionality of the U.S. health care system

HEALTH CARE

By: Marilyn Staff, RN

Americans are understandably frustrated with the state of health care in the United States. Stressors, bottlenecks and upside-down finances have further weakened a system already under strain.

The public doesn’t know whom to blame for soaring costs, lack of access to high-quality care, and other challenges. Public policy has offered little by way of solutions, and health care insurers, hospitals and politicians have begun to wage competing campaigns to shape the narrative with the hopes of keeping the fingers pointed at someone else.

I am not here to wade into that debate, but rather to note that, as all this unfolds, we need to keep an eye on the ever-shortening fuse that threatens our system at its very foundations: our critical shortage of nurses.

This country’s declining pool of health care workers, particularly nurses, is a clear and present threat to the continued functionality of the U.S. healthcare system.

America’s nursing workforce has been challenged for years, driven by retirements, burnout and the rising needs of an aging population. Labor shortages across all health care workers, not just nurses, is the new normal. The U.S. forecasts a shortage of nearly 700,000 physicians, registered nurses and licensed practical nurses by 2037, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration.

Nurses make up the majority of health care workers at most hospitals and health care institutions. Their dwindling numbers have already had measurable effects, from acute and post-acute care delivery logjams to worse health care outcomes for many patients. All these problems were accelerated by the pandemic and are exacerbated in rural areas.

The existing nursing shortage has cascading effects. As more health care workers are being asked to shoulder more work with less support, more providers and nurses are predictably leaving the health care industry altogether. As astounding as it sounds, an October 2025 Harris Poll reported that 55% of all health care workers in the country plan to seek new jobs or switch roles over the next year.

My company, FedPoint, administers the Federal Longterm Care Insurance Program, and the rising demand for skilled caregivers is something we are confronted with every day as we help family members create care plans for aging parents. Nurses are the backbone of long-term care planning and delivery, ensuring older adults receive safe, compassionate, professional support. Without enough of them, the system cannot meet the needs of families nationwide.

While more structural solutions will likely be needed to save and fortify our health care system over the long term, the most immediate step we can take is to support existing nurses and bolster a pipeline of future nurses.

As a way of encouraging students and career-changers to pursue nursing, FedPoint annually awards multiple $5,000 scholarships to help cover education expenses for first-year nursing students pursuing their RN license. It is our small way of planting seeds across New England for a community of nurses who will strengthen the caregiver pipeline on which our health care system will depend for generations to come.

It’s also worth reminding young people and others evaluating potential career paths that the nursing profession offers the rare combination of job security, mobility and the freedom to explore countless subspecialties. Nurses are needed everywhere: hospitals, schools, research labs, long-term and short-term care facilities and home care, to name a few. They can shift specialties, move across regions and adapt their careers to fit their lives. For students weighing their futures, nursing provides stability and opportunity in equal measure.

Moreover, nursing is a rewarding occupation that offers its practitioners the opportunity to create hope for all of us, and for themselves the deep satisfaction that arises from making a difference. Few professions allow individuals to make such a direct, positive impact. Nurses comfort families, guide patients through difficult moments and deliver care that restores health and dignity. Their work is meaningful in ways that statistics can’t capture.

As a nation, we should facilitate the expansion of nursing, and identify ways to support enhanced education, knowing that we will all benefit from the outcome. Hospitals, insurers and employers can lead the way by offering internships, tuition assistance, flexible clinical placements and career-transition programs that welcome new nurses into the profession.

Marilyn Staff, RN, of North Hampton, is director of care coordination at FedPoint, a Portsmouth-based federal benefits administrator. For information about FedPoint’s Nursing Scholarships, visit www.fedpointusa.com/scholarships.