State sees its nursing shortage worsening

California, like much of the nation, is not producing enough nurses working at bedsides to meet the needs of an aging and diverse population, fueling a workforce crunch that risks endangering quality patient care. Nearly 60% of California counties, stretching from Mexico to Oregon, face a nursing shortage, according to state data.

- By ANGELA HART

UNION members and Central Valley community leaders in August discuss the “One Big Beautiful Bill’s” effects on local healthcare access.

(Jeff Lewis AP Content Services for National Nurses United)

Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers have tried to bolster the state's healthcare workforce, in part by implementing recommendations from the California Future Health Workforce Commission, a 24-member panel of state, labor, academic and industry representatives. The state in recent years has expanded the scope of work for nurse practitioners, allowing them to practice medicine — ordering tests and prescribing medication, for instance — without traditional doctor supervision, and has worked to expand academic nursing slots and training programs.

Still, California's shortage of registered nurses is expected to grow from 3.7% in 2024 to 16.7% by 2033, or more than 61,000 nurses, due to inadequate recruitment, training and retention, said Kathryn Phillips, associate director of the Improving Access team at the California Health Care Foundation, a nonprofit philanthropic organization specializing in healthcare research and education.

Regional shortages, particularly in the Central Valley and rural Northern California, are expected to swell. “There are major deficits and those could get even worse,” Phillips said.

Researchers say the gap between nursing supply and demand is exacerbated by inadequate career pathways and high turnover in a labor-intensive industry, but nurses and their unions say the problem is driven primarily by a management-induced staffing crisis and poor working conditions. Nurses say their job remains a noble calling, but many report feeling pressured to turn over beds and take on more patients, stress that can dissuade young people from entering the field and drive experienced nurses to leave or retire early.