By Rep. Stephen Bartels
Nurses are often stretched thin and work long hours, but they make incredible sacrifices to care for their patients. Hoosier nurses stepped up during the pandemic and were nothing short of heroic, and we need more – a lot more – of them across the state.
Even before the pandemic, Indiana and communities across the country experienced a nursing shortage. In response, I joined my House colleagues in supporting legislation to expand the state’s talent pipeline for qualified nurses.
With more than 4,000 nursing job openings statewide, House Bill 1003 would give flexibility to nursing programs and nursing educators, and help simplify licensing restrictions. This bill would create more pathways for students to obtain licenses, getting them in the workforce faster while maintaining high-quality training standards.
In a study done by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, nursing schools turned away over 80,000 qualified students due to understaffing in 2019. Indiana is projected to need 5,000 additional nurses by 2031, which means we will need 1,350 additional students above what’s projected to graduate each year to meet our needs.
This legislation could increase the number of nurse educators and student enrollment for certain associate and bachelor’s degree programs. This bill would also allow nursing programs to accept more clinical simulation hours and reduce the required amount of experience needed for a registered nurse to become a nursing instructor.
This bill is supported by hospital systems, nursing schools, long-term care facilities, the Indiana Nurses Association, Indiana Hospital Association and Indiana Health Care Association. Hoosiers interested in pursuing a nursing career can find Indiana nursing programs at ic4n.org/nursing.
Supporting nurses and ensuring Hoosiers receive medical care is a key priority, and this legislation is a commonsense step that would boost Indiana’s nursing talent pipeline. House Bill 1003 is now under consideration in the Indiana Senate. To learn more about the bill and its progress visit iga.in.gov.
State Rep. Stephen Bartels, R-Eckerty, represents House District 74, which includes portions of Spencer, Dubois, Perry, Crawford and Orange counties.