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.

Board of Directors
Lanelle Weems, MSN, RN,

President, National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers

Director, Mississippi Center for Quality and Workforce

Rayna Letourneau, PhD, RN

President-elect, National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers

Executive Director, Florida Center for Nursing

Deborah Elliott, MBA, BSN

Secretary, National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers

Executive Director, Center for Nursing at the Foundation for NYS Nurses, Inc.

Yetty Shobo, PhD

Treasurer, National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers

Director, Virginia Department of Health Professions, Health Workforce Data Center

Ashley Davis, PhD, RN

Member at Large,National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers

Executive Director, Arkansas Center for Nursing

Laura Reichardt, MS, APRN, AGPCNP-BC

Member at Large, National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers

Director, Hawaii State Center for Nursing

Staff
Patricia Moulton Burwell, PhD, Director

National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers

info@nursingworkforcecenters.org