Tim Tai

A growing nursing shortage in Connecticut has prompted Yale and other Connecticut universities to re-evaluate how they recruit, train and support the next generation of nurses.

In 2023, Connecticut nursing programs had nearly 3,000 available seats and received thousands of qualified applications. Only 2,181 students graduated, leaving healthcare systems strained and short-staffed. The number of working registered nurses decreased nationally by more than 100,000 from 2020 to 2021.

“We’re making progress, but capacity is still a real barrier,” said Dr. Tina Loarte Rodriguez, executive director of the Connecticut Center for Nursing Workforce, or CCNW.

The CCNW reported a 91 percent fill rate in the state’s pre-licensure registered nurse programs last year. However, institutional constraints — ranging from faculty shortages to limited clinical placement slots — continue to hamper program growth. Yale School of Nursing, or YSN, has sought to address these challenges through strategic updates to its academic programming.

According to Lillian Zepeda, a spokesperson for YSN, the school has adapted its curriculum, launched an advisory board to bolster clinical partnerships and incorporated advanced simulation tools to better prepare students for clinical realities. In 2023, Connecticut obtained $2.9 million in federal funding to train nurses and create opportunities for frontline healthcare professionals, adding momentum to these institutional efforts.

Yale has also introduced initiatives to bridge the gap between admitted students and actual enrollment. For example, a student ambassador program and alumni outreach network aim to ease applicant uncertainty.

Additionally, the school’s Community Scholars Program will fully fund 21 students next year as part of a broader effort to remove financial barriers to nursing education.

Other Connecticut universities, such as Quinnipiac University, are also responding to the demand. 

According to Dean Larry Slater, Quinnipiac’s nursing school is overhauling its curriculum to build durable, transferable skills and reduce reliance on high-stakes testing. The university is also expanding access through a part-time Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in partnership with Hartford Healthcare, designed to support working students and ease workforce onboarding.

Despite these efforts, workforce gaps remain, particularly in critical care, long-term care and community health settings. Statewide data in 2022 shows that while nearly 90,000 registered nurses hold licenses in Connecticut, only 51,000 are actively practicing. The Health Resources and Services Administration even projected national nurse shortages until 2037.

“The core issue isn’t just a shortage of nurses — it’s a shortage of support once they’re in the field,” Rodriguez wrote to the News in an email. “Moral distress, burnout and a lack of mentorship continue to push skilled nurses out of direct patient care.”

Rodriguez added that solutions will require long-term investment. Her organization is working with policymakers and academic leaders to develop scalable models for faculty training, retention support and early exposure to healthcare careers — even starting as early as preschool.

At Yale, the integration of resilience training and burnout prevention into the curriculum is one way the institution hopes to better equip students for the emotional demands of frontline care. Students also complete clinical rotations at Yale New Haven Health and other regional partners.

Yet, for students training to become advanced practice registered nurses, finding clinical placements remains a challenge. Max Greger-Moser, a nurse practitioner who precepts psychiatric nurse practitioner students, said he has seen a sharp increase in requests for rotations.

“Ten years ago, I had one student a year,” Greger-Moser said. “This year, I’ll have at least three — and I still turn many away. It strikes me as a shame that we have motivated students who want to treat patients but can’t access the clinical training they need.”

As Yale and other institutions work to address the workforce shortage through education and pipeline development, experts caution that changes to payment models and licensure policy will also be necessary.

According to Rodriguez, modernizing scope-of-practice laws and reimbursing broader nursing services — particularly in primary and preventive care — could play a key role in sustaining the profession.

The nursing shortfall is expected to persist for years. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 194,500 annual registered nurse job openings through 2033, while federal estimates suggest a 10 percent national shortage of nurses by 2027. For Yale and its affiliates, the question is not only how to train more nurses — but how to ensure they stay.

The School of Nursing is located at 400 West Campus Drive in Orange, Conn.