Our Nursing Shortage Hurts Patients. Here's How New Hampshire Is Fighting Back.

This op-ed was originally published in the New Hampshire Union Leader, Fri, Sept. 5, 2025.

When I walk through the halls of our hospitals, I hear the same concerns from chief nursing officers across New Hampshire: we need more qualified nurses to meet patient demand. It's a crisis that touches every corner of the way we stay healthy, from large healthcare systems to community hospitals and primary care centers.

The statistics are sobering. Nationally, we face a projected shortfall of nearly 300,000 registered nurses. In New Hampshire, with our aging population and growing healthcare needs, the pressure is particularly acute. The New Hampshire Department of Employment Security  estimates that there will be 906 annual openings for registered nurses and 1,169 annual openings for nursing assistants through 2026. Our hospitals are increasingly reliant on expensive, out-of-state contract nurses.

For you, our patients, this means the possibility of longer wait times and being treated by healthcare professionals who are stretched thin and may experience burnout.

The Root of the Problem

The nursing shortage isn't just about recruitment—it's about capacity. Across the country, nursing schools turn away tens of thousands of qualified applicants because they lack the faculty and facilities to educate them. Men and women want to become nurses, but we don't have enough seats in classrooms or clinical training sites to accommodate them.

This is where New Hampshire has an opportunity to lead. Rather than waiting for federal solutions or hoping market forces will solve the problem, we can invest in the infrastructure needed and create incentives to train the healthcare professionals our state desperately needs.

A New Model for Nursing Education

This is why Saint Anselm College is opening the Jean School of Nursing and Health Sciences, a 45,000-square-foot facility that represents a $40 million investment in New Hampshire's healthcare future. But this isn't just about a new buildin - it's about reimagining how we prepare nurses and other health professionals for today's complex healthcare environment.

The centerpiece is a state-of-the-art simulation center with seven different learning environments, from intensive care to pediatrics to public health. Students can practice skills and decision-making in realistic scenarios in a “safe” space, without risk to actual patients. It's what evidence shows as the gold standard of clinical education, and it allows us to provide more comprehensive preparation than traditional clinical rotations alone.

What makes this approach particularly valuable for New Hampshire is how it addresses our unique challenges. Community hospitals often struggle to provide clinical training sites for nursing students. Skill building in a lab and simulation technology allows us to expose students to a broader range of skills and scenarios than any single clinical day could provide, ensuring they're prepared for their licensing exam and real-world patient care upon graduation.

Beyond Traditional Nursing

We're also expanding beyond undergraduate nursing education to address workforce shortages across health professions. Our new Community and Public Health major prepares students for careers with organizations like the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, health systems, and local nonprofits focused on improving health outcomes across the state. Our Health Sciences program creates pathways to careers as physician assistants, physical therapists, medical laboratory scientists, and other health specialists our state needs.

This fall, we've launched our first graduate nursing program—an online Master of Science in Nursing Leadership and Innovation and Post-Master’s Certificate designed for working nurses. These programs respond directly to what we hear from healthcare leaders: they need nurses with leadership knowledge and skills to embrace improvements in our healthcare delivery systems.

Keeping Talent in New Hampshire

One of the most important aspects of our approach is its focus on employing healthcare professionals in New Hampshire. Too often, our brightest graduates leave for opportunities in Boston or other major cities. By providing world-class education and clear career advancement pathways here at home, we can retain the talent our state needs.

Our nursing graduates consistently outperform national averages on licensing exams, and 97% find employment within six months of graduation. Many choose to stay in New Hampshire, working at hospitals and healthcare organizations across the state. They bring not just excellent clinical skills but also the critical thinking and communication abilities that come from a liberal arts education.

Statewide Solutions

Saint Anselm's investment is significant, but it needs to be part of a broader effort across New Hampshire. We need increased partnerships between educational institutions, state legislators, and healthcare systems. We need scholarship programs that ensure qualified students can afford nursing education. We need competitive salaries for nursing faculty and incentives for nurses to work as preceptors and clinical educators.

Most importantly, we need to recognize that addressing the nursing shortage is an investment in New Hampshire's economic future. Healthcare is one of our state's largest employers, and having an adequate supply of qualified healthcare professionals is essential for attracting businesses and supporting the health of our population.

Our ribbon-cutting ceremony today is more than the opening of a new building. It represents New Hampshire's commitment to solving its healthcare workforce challenges through innovation and investment in education. We're not just training more nurses—we're developing future healthcare leaders our communities need and deserve.

The nursing shortage didn't develop overnight, and it won't be solved quickly. But with sustained commitment from educational institutions, healthcare systems, and state leaders, we can build an inclusive and qualified workforce New Hampshire needs for the future.

Diane Uzarski, DNP, MPH, RN is the founding dean of the Jean School of Nursing and Health Sciences at Saint Anselm College.