Wisconsin’s nursing shortage eased by Biden-Harris training funding initiatives

Thanks to the Biden-Harris administration, Wisconsin nursing programs receive a big funding boost, increasing instructor and student numbers to address the nursing shortage.

Wisconsin is facing a nursing shortage, with a predicted deficit of up to 19,000 nurses by 2040. But there’s good news. Grants powered by the Biden-Harris administration offer a real chance to tackle the issue. Two projects are already supporting new nursing students by covering school expenses and training them through hospital simulations.

Brittany, a Wisconsin single mom, is one of the beneficiaries. 

“[This program helps] me provide a positive independent image for my15-year-old daughter,” she said. “Financial assistance will really help me be successful in achieving my Nursing degree. I look forward to having an income that I can then pay it forward to women like me in the future.”

Missy Hughes, secretary and CEO of Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. (WEDC), which administers the grants, agrees with the importance of the projects. 

“Wisconsin is fortunate that so many young people already know that nursing is an important, demanding but fulfilling and family-supporting career choice,” she said. “Now we must increase our training capacity to give these future nurses the skills they will need. Part of what is so exciting about this project is the potential for it to be replicated across the state and increase the number of nurses trained in Wisconsin each year.”

Empowering Nursing Students

Wisconsin Community Action Program Association (WISCAP), a network of agencies dedicated to fighting poverty through community policies and resources, was awarded a $4.8 million grant for the Nursing Skills Program. Ten community agencies will financially support low to moderate-income nursing students with tuition, transportation, childcare and coaching. The Nursing Skills Program targets at least 142 eligible Wisconsinites to enter the nursing workforce by 2025.

As of May 2023, 121 students, such as Brittany, have been successfully enrolled, with around 30 participants already practicing in Wisconsin communities. You can read further about this WISCAP program here.

Supporting Nursing Instructors

Also thanks to the Biden-Harris funding, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay received a $376,000 grant in 2022 to start a partnership program with Aurora BayCare Medical Center that allows working clinical nurses to instruct current nursing students. Students learn invaluable skills for talking with patients about difficult subjects, which can be intimidating for many new nurses. This grant allows even more nursing students to enter a training program, and improves their ability to treat patients before they start working. 

“While there is great interest in nursing programs from students, there is a limit to how many students can be admitted because of a shortage of nursing faculty. The partners in this program are responding to the need with an innovative program that we believe will be scalable for the state as a whole – and a model for the nation,” explained Susan Gallagher-Lepak, Dean of the College of Health, Education and Social Welfare at UW-Green Bay.

Green Bay expects to train 152 students through this project and support 80 students per year from now on.

You can learn more about the Wisconsin grants funded by American Rescue Plan Act here.