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The nursing profession faces a number of significant workforce challenges. Both the nursing workforce and US population are aging, leading to a wave of nurse retirements and a simultaneous increase in need for health care, especially in long-term care settings. Furthermore, the current nursing workforce does not mirror the racial and ethnic diversity of the population. Released following the Center on Education and Skills New America (CESNA) report 'Apprenticeship and the future of nursing' [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 137.1230], this guide aims to explore why and how apprenticeship could diversify the nursing workforce and increase academic and career progression for nurses. While apprenticeship may not be a silver bullet for workforce challenges, the model can lower financial and logistical barriers to entry and progression for those that may have felt such a career was out of reach.

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Studies have shown that hospitals with more bachelor degreed nurses generate better patient outcomes. Therefore increasing the share of registered nurses with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is a top priority for many health care systems around the country. However, restricting new hires to nurses with a BSN could leave heath care centres with a much less diverse nursing workforce than it currently has or wants due to the cost and time constraints of attaining this qualification. This report addresses the creation of a Registered Apprenticeship program for nurses in need of bachelor's degrees, exploring one such program created at Fairview Health Services in Minnesota. The relative ease with which Fairview incorporated apprenticeship into its existing professional development strategies demonstrates that it is already a close fit. It also shows that apprenticeship can be a valuable tool for helping the field reach its goal of increasing the share of bachelor-degreed nurses to 80 percent. But expanding the use of apprenticeship in nursing and realizing its full potential as an education and training model will require support from a broad range of stakeholders across the public and private sectors. The report recommends these groups: (1) convene key stakeholders to discuss Registered Apprenticeship; (2) create targeted grant programs; (3) support research and evaluation of the impact of the bachelor-degreed nursing program on patient outcomes; (4) raise awareness of the apprenticeship pathway; (5) fund and evaluate pilot programs; (6) partner with health care workforce intermediaries to develop apprenticeship programs and; (7) partner more selectively with institutions of higher education to ensure quality and drive down tuition.

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