L.A. Community Colleges and California State University Partner to Address Nursing Shortage
Credit: FatCamera / Getty Images- Los Angeles-area community colleges and the California State University are partnering to address the region’s increasing nursing shortage.
- There are more than 6,400 projected job openings each year for registered nurses in Los Angeles County through 2035, according to Lightcast research.
- The Los Angeles County Nursing 2035 initiative will release a report this fall with recommendations on growing nursing education and improving partnerships between community colleges and the CSU.
A “care crisis” is looming, and Los Angeles community colleges and the California State University (CSU) have launched a new partnership to address the region’s growing nursing shortage.
The Los Angeles County Nursing 2035 initiative, announced March 27, was initially spearheaded by Compton College and the CSU to increase the number of nurses in Los Angeles County amid an aging population and retiring nurses.
The effort quickly expanded to include the Los Angeles Regional Consortium (LARC), which comprises all 19 Los Angeles community colleges; the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp. (LAEDC); California Competes; and the Department of Economic Opportunity with the County of Los Angeles.
Part of the initiative, according to CSU Chancellor Mildred Garcia, will be to strengthen transfer pathways for nursing students from community colleges to the CSU and increase the capacity of the CSU’s bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degree program.
According to the Community College League of California, California is currently 40th in the nation for registered nurses per capita, with Los Angeles facing significant challenges. Lightcast research projects more than 6,400 job openings for registered nurses in Los Angeles County will be available annually through 2035. In 2023, there were over 5,300 job openings available.
“Los Angeles County is facing two equally impactful events occurring simultaneously, a growing and aging population and healthcare professionals approaching retirement. As a result, we are staring down a critical nursing shortage that directly impacts the quality of healthcare available to our diverse communities,” Dr. Keith Curry, president and CEO of Compton College, said in a statement.
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The collaboration plans to release a report this fall with policy and budget recommendations for the state and local levels to expand nursing education capacity and strengthen regional partnerships. Their goal is to implement the report’s findings over the next decade, up to 2035.
“This effort is about breaking down barriers and forg[ing] stronger connections between community colleges and four-year institutions,” Dr. Luis Dorado, president of Los Angeles Harbor College and co-chair of LARC, said in a statement.
“Our goal is to increase BSN access while maintaining the high standards of nursing education that our students and communities deserve.”
Last September, California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have created a pilot program allowing up to 10 community college districts to offer a BSN degree.
While community college leaders supported the effort, the CSU opposed the legislation, saying that partnering with community colleges would be a more efficient way to address the nursing shortage and not “duplicating efforts and competing for limited resources, including clinical placements and qualified faculty.”
In his veto, Newsom said that partnerships between California Community Colleges and the CSU “have proven successful” in expanding BSN access and increasing the number of BSN graduates.
He added, “All segments of higher education should continue to focus on building these programs together, and I am concerned this bill could inadvertently undermine that collaboration.”