By Amy Curtis | April 2025
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In this issue: $1M Nursing Pathways Grant awarded; 2024 NCSBN data released; Learning opportunities and registrations.
This newsletter is 1,598 words long, about a 5.5-minute read.
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Kansas Nursing Workforce Center announces $1M grant from the Kansas Board of Regents to launch the Nursing Pathways Project
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The Kansas Nursing Workforce Center has received a $1 million grant from the Kansas Board of Regents to engage in several projects designed to increase interest in nursing and boost applications to nursing schools throughout the state.
Why is this important? Enrollment in Kansas nursing education programs has steadily declined by 38% over the last 10 years. Potential nursing students struggle to see an educational pathway that fits their needs and they often spend time and money filling out multiple applications. Nursing education programs have unfilled seats and employers struggle to find nurses. And a persistent imbalance in the supply of and demand for nurses means that Kansas patients are at risk of not getting the care they need.
The goal of the project is to analyze the relationship between the nursing workforce (demand) and its education programs (supply). There are three distinct aims:
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Aim 1: Find ways to make it easier for students to apply to nursing school.
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The Kanas Nursing Workforce Center will lead collaboration among pre-licensure nursing programs to develop a new process where potential students can more easily identify programs that fit their individual needs and learn about admission requirements. Potential solutions may include the ability to pay one application fee to be eligible for one or more programs.
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Aim 2: Increase student, parent, and counselor knowledge of nursing education options and career opportunities.
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We will build a new web-based tool, “Kansas Nursing Pathways: Your Education Guide” so people interested in nursing school can see if a career in nursing is right for them, explore nursing employment options, and learn how to get started. A neutral Nursing Pathways Coach will be available by email or appointment to answer questions and help potential students find the best education program for them.
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Aim 3: Provide a comprehensive report on the state of RN and LPN nursing education in Kansas.
- The State of Nursing Education in Kansas report will analyze the structures, processes and outcomes of education programs, including information about applications, enrollments, completions, and licensing pass rates.
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Kansas Direct Support Workforce Development Site Launches
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The Kansas Direct Support Workforce Development website is a hub of training materials, career supports, and resources for direct support workers (DSW).
Why it matters: It is estimated that as many as 25% of Kansans (742,7750 people) experience some sort of disability. There are approximately 30,000 DSWs in Kansas so it is important that they are trained well.
Training modules were developed to improve confidence in providing essential services that improve the quality of life by ensuring DSWs have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to provide support to each individual they serve in a strengths-based, person-centered manner that produces the outcomes outlined in the Person-Centered Support Plan.
According to the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) website, “research indicates a link between thorough DSW training and increased retention rates. Enhanced training also provides DSWs the skill set necessary to be more marketable, allowing the DSW the opportunity to grow personally and professionally, earn higher wages, and increase the quality of care provided.”
Learn more.
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NCSBN Releases 2024 Data; State of Nursing in Kansas Volume 2 Underway
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More than 138,000 nurses left the workforce since 2022, and they report stress, burnout and retirement as key reasons, the same reasons as those surveyed two years ago.
- Almost 40% of nurses reported an intent to leave the workforce or retire within the next five years.
- Of the nurses who reported an intent to leave within the next five years, the reasons they are leaving aside from retirement include:
- Approximately 41.5% selected stress and burnout as the root cause.
- Following stress and burnout, other top reasons include workload, understaffing, inadequate salary and workplace violence.
- Employment levels have rebounded slightly, with almost 88% of RN licensees and 71% of LPN/VN licensees now actively employed in nursing.
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Median pre-tax annual earnings for both RNs and LPNs have increased by 10-16%, likely driven by inflation and rising demand for health care services.
- The percentage of Latino/Hispanic RNs has doubled since 2015, from 3.6% to 7.2%.
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What about Kansas? The Kansas Nursing Workforce Center is working to compile the Kansas-specific data into the State of Nursing in Kansas report, Volume 2.
Volume 2 will include the 2024 data as well as 10 years of historical data to enable trending analysis of the Kansas nursing workforce.
When can I get Volume 2? Anticipated publication date is September 4, 2025.
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Registration Open for the Age-Friendly Nursing Workforce Forum
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The Kansas Nursing Workforce Center, in conjunction with the Kansas 4M GWEP, invites nursing educators and long-term care leaders to join us at the Age-Friendly Nursing Workforce Forum.
The goal of the forum is to identify ways for educators and employers to partner to increase the number of nursing graduates who choose to practice in nursing homes.
Kansas Age-Friendly Forum Details
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- June 9, 2025 from 10a.m. to 2p.m.
- Washburn Tech Conference Center, Topeka, KS
- A virtual attendance option is available.
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Lunch is provided and continuing education credit is offered as appropriate. Instructions for credit or a certificate of attendance will be provided at the event.
Register Now
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Registration Open for the Cardiac Symposium
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The 14th Annual Cardiac Symposium, “Straight from the Heart”, registration is now open. The symposium is designed to provide nurses and healthcare personnel with up-to-date information on cardiology and cardiothoracic treatment modalities.
Cardiac Symposium Details
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- June 5, 2025 from 7:50a.m. to 4:00p.m.
- Location: virtual
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- "Good refresher on heart disease and treatments."
- "Lots of great information and I enjoyed the information coming from different disciplines."
- "I liked the wide range of topics discussed and learning different topics about cardiac procedures I was not well versed in!"
- "These events are consistently presented in a user-friendly format with a varying level of expertise and information beneficial to all experience levels."
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Kansas Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists Granted Full Scope of Practice Authority
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Governor Laura Kelly signed a bill allowing certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNA) to administer drugs to the full capability of their qualifications. Previously they could only perform certain functions after a physician’s or dentist’s order.
Senate Bill 67 deals with CRNAs’ ability to prescribe, procure, and administer drugs and medical equipment.
“By allowing health care providers to practice to the full extent of their qualifications and capabilities, we are expanding opportunities for both providers and patients,” Kelly said.
Read the bill.
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April Research Committee Meeting
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The April Research Committee Meeting recording will be released after the upcoming publication of the Access to Maternal Care in Kansas report. During the meeting, Karen Weis, PhD, RNC-OB, FAAN, Christine A. Hartley Rural Nursing Professor, Salina Campus Dean, University of Kansas School of Nursing, shared her findings.
Next month we will hear from Dr. Misty Heggeness, Associate Professor of Public Affairs and Economics at the University of Kansas, Founder & Co-Director of the Kansas Population Center, about "Care Economy” and the development of the Care Board, a new tool to gather information the work Americans do every day to provide care for their families, communities and selves and the care workforce’s role in the economy.
Led by Shin Hye Park, PhD, RN, the Research Committee, facilitates and promotes collaborative nurse research activities across the state. The committee's goal is to leverage research talent to better serve the healthcare community of Kansas, advance the field of nursing and healthcare and strengthen the nursing workforce in Kansas.
The next scheduled meeting is May 22, 2025 from 10-11 a.m.
You can sign up here to receive the Research Committee meeting link. Please send to colleagues who may also wish to attend.
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Cost of Hospital-based RN Turnover
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According to the 2025 NSI National Health Care Retention and RN Staffing report, hospitals across the U.S. increased RN staffing by approximately 98,000, an add rate of 5.6%. However, the cost of turnover for bedside RNs turnover increased by 8.6%.
Key Takeaways
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- Average cost of turnover for a staff RN: $61,100
- RN turnover rate: 16.4% (2% decrease from 2023)
- 1% reduction in turnover costs saves $289,000 annually
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Learning opportunities galore
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As the Kansas Nursing Workforce Center dives deeply into nursing education, we’re glad there are learning opportunities for our existing nursing workforce.
Nearly every item in this month’s newsletter represents an opportunity for nurses to expand their knowledge.
Our profession is built on continuous learning so take advantage of these great options!
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—Barbara MacArthur and Amy Garcia
Kansas Nursing Workforce Center
p.s. Happy Nurse's Week a few days early! 🎉
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Helpful Resources and Links
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Webinar series: Leveraging the Data to Guide Decisions for a Strong Nursing Workforce
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Have Kansas Nursing Workforce news, solutions, or kudos you’d like us to share?
Email nursingwill@kumc.edu
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