Our Mission

Lead a national network to ensure a robust, diverse and well-prepared nursing workforce.

Who We Are

We are a group of nurse workforce entities that focuses on addressing the nursing shortage within their states and contributes to the national effort to assure an adequate supply of qualified nurses to meet the health needs of the US population. We support the advancement of new as well as existing nurse workforce initiatives and share best practices in nursing workforce research, workforce planning, workforce development, and formulation of workforce policy. We share information in three major ways: through publications, via annual conferences, and by way of this virtual network.

What exactly is a state nurse workforce entity? These state initiatives are made up of people who work to increase the supply of nurses and resolve the critical nursing shortage. Activities include data collection and analysis, publication of reports and information, as well as recommendations of changes necessary to resolve the nursing shortage. While organizational structures, funding sources, and entity names vary, these state nurse workforce entities are commonly referred to as “Centers.” The concept of “Taking the Long View” reflects the focus of workforce efforts being transformed from ‘quick fixes’ to long-range strategic planning. This involves the collection of data that allows the identification of imbalances between supply and demand and allows for forecasting efforts that drive nursing workforce development and policy recommendations. The majority of states have a nurse workforce initiative. Visit our Location Maps to find states participating in the National Forum.