By Amy Curtis | April 2026

In this issue:  Nursing workforce webinars, Research Committee meeting, HRSA survey.

This newsletter is 1,322 words long, about a 4.5-minute read.

Save the Date: The State of Nursing in Kansas Report, Vol. 2—Leveraging the Data to Maximize Strategic Decisions to Support the Nursing Workforce Webinar

Save the date for the webinar, State of Nursing in Kansas Report, Vol. 2: Leveraging the Data to Maximize Strategic Decisions to Support the Nursing Workforce.

Webinar Details

Who should attend?

This webinar features a panel of healthcare and education leaders. Panelists will share how they use the report in their work.

April Research Committee Meeting

Watch a recording of the April meeting featuring Karen Weis, PhD, RNC-OB, FAAN, Professor and Christine A. Hartley Rural Nursing Professorship, Dean, Salina Campus, at the University of Kansas School of Nursing, where she presented on Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies Program (RMOMS).

The next meeting is scheduled for May 28, 2026 at 10 a.m.

Special Interest Group Survey Results

The Research Committee is forming small groups based on areas of interest. Last month we surveyed members about forming Special Interest Groups (SIGs), receiving 16 responses. Half of respondents expressed interest in joining a SIG, providing a basis to move forward with development.

The top three topic priorities were:

Survey respondents indicated that they hope to contribute to collaborative research, policy translation and dissemination, and presenting at committee meetings and conferences—indicating that members are primarily interested in scholarship activities and collaboration. Some respondents indicated they would lead the SIGs going forward. (Additional SIG volunteers are welcome.)

We also asked about the Research Committee meeting structure. Survey respondents said they prefer bimonthly scheduling and a focus on collaborative project development. The main barriers to attending the Research Committee meetings were competing work and teaching obligations.

The KNWC will use these findings to guide SIG formation and future committee planning.

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.

Sign up here to receive the Research Committee meeting link. Please send this link to colleagues who may also wish to attend.

HRSA Wants to Know What Kansas RNs Think

Were you recently invited to complete the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses (NSSRN)?

The Health Resources Services Administration sent the NSSRN survey by mail to select nurses. It is the longest-running survey and primary source of data on the nursing workforce in the US.

Why does this matter? It helps the Kansas nursing workforce.

When more Kansas nurses respond to this survey, it results in better information about the Kansas nursing workforce. Data accuracy helps everyone make better decisions about the nursing workforce. This data also drives the reports that the Kansas Nursing Workforce Center produces to help ensure Kansas nurses are supported.

What should Kansas Nurses do?

New Issue: Online Journal of Nursing Workforce

Kansas Nursing Workforce Center Research Committee member, Aimee McDonald, PhD, RN, VA Medical Center of Kansas City, has co-authored an article in the most recent issue of the Online Journal of Nursing Workforce.

The article, “A Qualitative Phenomenological Study in Nurse Retention in Acute Care: What Makes an Early to Mid-Career Nurse Want to Stay in their Role and Institution?”, looked at the factors that contribute to nurses’ intentions to remain or leave their institutions in a post-COVID-19 healthcare environment. 

The study revealed factors including:

Why this research matters: Retaining early to mid-career acute care nurses necessitates a multi-faceted approach that transcends financial incentives. It calls for strategies centered on effective bi-directional communication, relationship-building, meaningful work aligned with personal values, flexible scheduling, and genuine systemic organizational support.

Bottom line: Examining nurse retention from a multi-tiered approach not only captures the complexity of retention but is essential since nurse turnover is not caused by a single factor—it is the result of interconnected influences and interactions at the personal, unit, and organizational / system levels.

Read the article here.

Register for the 2nd Annual Kansas Age-Friendly Nursing Workforce Forum

The Kansas Nursing Workforce Center and the Kansas 4M Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program invite you to a collaborative forum between nursing educators and long-term care leaders, focused on strengthening partnerships to increase the number of nursing graduates who choose to practice in nursing homes.

Who Should Attend?

Forum Details

Forum Objectives

Register here

Kansas 4M Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).The award provided 100% of total costs and totaled $5 million with funding from 07/01/2024 through 06/30/2029. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official views of, nor an endorsement by, HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information visit HRSA.gov.    

Spring thoughts

Hello colleagues and friends!

Spring is feeling like rush hour with so many meetings focused on nursing.

It has been invaluable to get together with many of you and examine our shared commitment to nursing and the next generation of nurses coming up. We congratulate  all the new grads who will soon enter our profession, and we will soon celebrate all nurses during Nurse’s Week. Please take time to celebrate the vital contributions  you make to the health of Kansans.

We’re also excited to continue sharing the State of Nursing in Kansas, volume 2 report. You can learn how to leverage this valuable information by marking your calendar for our June 17 webinar (see the first item in this newsletter for details).

We’d love to collaborate and learn from you. If your organization or group could benefit or learn from the Kansas Nursing Workforce Center, reply to this email. We’d be honored to join you to talk about the nursing workforce or prelicensure nursing education in Kansas.

With appreciation,

—Barbara MacArthur, MN, RN, FAAN 

Director, Kansas Nursing Workforce Center

What We’re Reading

In Case You Missed It!

Download your copy of the State of Nursing in Kansas, Volume 2. This edition tracks trending data from 2015 to 2025.

Download your copy of an advance report, The State of Nursing Education in Kansas, prepared for the Kansas Legislature. This advance report provides data about prelicensure nursing education programs in Kansas.

Have Kansas Nursing Workforce news, solutions, or kudos you’d like us to share?
Email nursingwill@kumc.edu

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