Senator Jon Bramnick’s legislation to help alleviate the nursing shortage in New Jersey has been signed into law.
Sen. Jon Bramnick’s legislation to help alleviate the nursing shortage in New Jersey has been signed into law. (©iStock)
“New Jersey desperately needs more nurses,” said Bramnick (R-21). “We can fill some of the void with trained, capable veterans who can quickly be educated, certified, and prepared to step in to help. This new law offers a perfect solution, fortifying the state’s health care industry that has been hard-hit by the exodus of crucial workers since the pandemic while providing an attractive career path for qualified veterans.”
Bramnick’s measure, A-2722/S-3191, allows honorably discharged veterans to qualify for licensure by completing the Army Practical Nurse Program in lieu of obtaining a diploma from a school of practical nursing approved by the New Jersey Board of Nursing.
In 2021 alone, an estimated 100,000 nurses left the profession across the U.S. The nursing workforce shrunk by almost 2 percent from 2019 to 2021.
New Jersey is projected to have the third largest staffing shortage in the nation by 2030, with a shortage of 11,000 nurses.
“Nursing schools don’t have enough students enrolled to make up for the thousands of nurses who are burned out and retiring from their jobs,” Bramnick added. “Veterans can be trained as reinforcements who can step into these professional positions and a productive and rewarding career.”