Legislation sponsored by Senator Jon Bramnick to help alleviate the nursing shortage in New Jersey was endorsed today by the Senate. The bill passed the Assembly in October with a vote of 71-0 and now moves to the Governor’s desk for consideration.

Legislation sponsored by Sen. Jon Bramnick to help alleviate the nursing shortage in New Jersey was endorsed today by the Senate. (Pixabay)

Bramnick’s measure, A-2722/S-3191 would allow honorably discharged veterans to qualify for licensure by completing the Army Practical Nurse Program in lieu of obtaining a diploma from a school of practical nursing approved by the New Jersey board of Nursing.

“New Jersey desperately needs more nurses,” said Bramnick (R-21). “We can fill some of the void with trained, capable veterans who can quickly be educated, certified, and prepared to step in to help.

“The measure offers a perfect solution, fortifying the State’s healthcare industry that has been hard-hit by the exodus of crucial workers since the pandemic while providing an attractive career path for qualified veterans,” the Senator continued.

In 2021 alone, an estimated 100,000 nurses left the profession across the U.S. and from 2019 to 2021, the workforce shrunk by almost 2 percent.

New Jersey is projected to have the third largest staffing shortage in the nation by 2030, with a shortage of 11,000 nurses.

“Nursing schools don’t have enough students enrolled to make up for the thousands of nurses who are burned out and retiring from their jobs,” Bramnick said. “Veterans can be trained as reinforcements who can step into these professional positions in a productive and rewarding career.”