By Jackie Roman
nj.com
TEANECK, N.J. — The scarcity of nurses in New Jersey is expected to get even worse in the coming years, according to a health workforce analysis.
With a projected shortage of 24,450 registered nurses by 2036, New Jersey is expected to have one of the largest nursing problems in the nation.
The Garden State is projected to have the fourth largest projected shortage of registered nurses in the country, according to a report from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The report highlights nurse workforce projections from 2021 to 2036. The findings come as health systems nationwide prepare for the “silver tsunami” of older Americans age 65 and above who will need healthcare. By 2040, older adults will comprise 81 million people, or 22% of the total U.S. population, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
At the same time, healthcare workers continue to retire in a national exodus from the profession.
The report says the 10 states with the largest projected shortages of registered nurses by 2036 are:
- Georgia — Projected shortage: 29%; Projected vacancies: 34,800
- California — Projected shortage: 26%; Projected vacancies: 106,310
- Washington — Projected shortage: 26%; Projected vacancies: 22,700
- New Jersey — Projected shortage: 25%; Projected vacancies: 24,450
- North Carolina — Projected shortage: 23%; Projected vacancies: 31,350
- New Hampshire — Projected shortage: 23%; Projected vacancies: 4,120
- South Carolina — Projected shortage: 21%; Projected vacancies: 13,570
- Maryland — Projected shortage: 20%; Projected vacancies: 14,700
- Michigan — Projected shortage: 19%; Projected vacancies: 21,870
- Oregon — Projected shortage: 16%; Projected vacancies: 7,410
Nearly a third of New Jersey nurses have left the bedside since 2020, according to a survey by Health Professionals and Allied Employees, the state’s largest nurses union.
There have been efforts to address the shortage.
U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-5th, announced a $3.8 million federal investment in the Sister Claire Tynan School of Nursing, run by Holy Name in Bergen County, last year to help train dozens more nurses. The money would provide more faculty, simulation training and equipment and make it more affordable for nursing students to attend the Englewood Cliffs school.
In January, Ramapo College in Mahwah announced the addition of an accelerated bachelor of science in nursing program aimed at graduating more licensed nurses to address the shortage in New Jersey.
Still, health systems continue to face recruitment and retention challenges, according to Becker’s Hospital Review, a leading hospital publication.
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