Financial support sought to address nursing workforce needs across Minnesota

Minnesota is on track to face a shortage of more than 30,000 nurses by 2030 as more nurses retire than become licensed. Nursing educators warn the gap is already straining care in settings from nursing homes to hospital floors.

A proposal laid over Wednesday would devote state resources to coordinating solutions across the entire pipeline.

Sponsored by Rep. Natalie Zeleznikar (R-Fredenberg Township), HF3167, as amended twice, would appropriate $500,000 from the Workforce Development Fund in the Fiscal Year 2027 to support the Center for Nursing Equity and Excellence. Housed at the University of Minnesota in partnership with Minnesota State, the center works with employers, educators and policymakers to expand training capacity, support students, and retain nurses in the profession.

“As we prepare for an aging population, we need to increase the nursing workforce,” Zeleznikar told the House Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy Committee. Health care itself is the state’s largest employment sector, with one in six Minnesota workers in the field. Of that total, Zeleznikar said nurses make up half of the workforce.

Behind the projected nursing shortfall lie several compounding problems: limited clinical learning opportunities, a shortage of nurse educators, insufficient simulation capacity, and more qualified applicants than available seats. Supporters say the center helps address those gaps through project management, career navigation, student placement, data analysis, and innovations in education and simulation.

Elaine Vandenburgh, interim executive director of the Minnesota State HealthForce Center of Excellence, said shortages are already affecting patient care. “The money will help the state not just respond to workforce challenges, but move forward with intention and commitment.”

The proposal would also position Minnesota to compete for more federal and philanthropic grants and, Vandenburgh noted, 48 states already provide dedicated funds for similar centers. She said center officials recently helped secure a $1.4 million grant to launch a prelicensure apprenticeship program — funding she said might not have been available otherwise.