“Ohio continues to experience significant healthcare workforce shortages, particularly in primary care, behavioral health, and underserved regions. Graduate nursing education is central to preparing the advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) who help meet these needs every day across our state.
The U.S. Department of Education has indicated potential changes to the definition of “professional degree programs,” which may affect federal student-loan access for some graduate nursing pathways. While national nursing organizations are taking the lead in engaging with the federal rulemaking process, OAAPN’s focus remains on Ohio’s healthcare workforce and the patients who depend on timely, accessible care.
A strong and stable educational pipeline is essential to maintaining the APRN workforce that serves communities throughout Ohio — from critical access hospitals and outpatient clinics to specialty services and behavioral health. Any change that influences access to graduate nursing education has the potential to affect this workforce pipeline and, ultimately, patient access to care.
OAAPN will continue to monitor developments closely and remain in communication with our state partners, nursing programs, and national organizations as more information becomes available.
Our guiding priority is simple: ensuring that Ohio has the nursing and APRN workforce necessary to provide safe, high-quality, and accessible care in every community we serve.”
Eric C. Snyder, DNP, APRN-CNP
President, Ohio Association of Advanced Practice Nurses