The US is taking steps to to join other countries, such as England, to provide nursing apprenticeship programs to help act on the projected shortage in nurses. Educational institutions, federal governments and local governments are joining together to create nursing apprenticeships so that students can earn money and gain real experience while continuing to go to school. This solution is aimed at attracting more students to purse a nursing degree, as well as make it possible for people who normally wouldn't be able to afford the tuition costs. At the moment, Kentucky is the only state to officially provide an accredited nursing apprenticeship program with other states following closely behind.
The development and rise of nursing apprenticeship programs are a result of larger labor issues in the United States. As tuition costs and student debts continue to rise, apprenticeship programs will continue to emerge as a solution across a variety of industries. (Source: nurse.org)
What does this mean for professional development?
At the moment nursing apprenticeship programs are located in different places across the US and do not have a consistent approach. However as the demand for them continues to grow, interested candidates will continue to see a rise in apprenticeships and professional development opportunities in nursing. Future nurses should keep an eye on the rise in apprenticeships and opportunities for paid training to become a nurse.
