New registered nurses would have to earn bachelor's degrees within 10 years to keep working in New York under a bill lawmakers are considering as part of a national push to raise nursing education standards, even as the health care industry faces staffing shortages.
The "BSN in 10" initiative backed by nursing associations and major health policy organizations aims to attack the problem of too few nurses trained to care for an aging population. That includes hundreds of thousands of nurses who are expected to retire in the coming years.
But some in the health care industry worry that increased education requirements could discourage people from entering
nursing.
Most registered nurses have two-year associate's degrees. No state currently requires a four-year degree for initial licensing or afterward.
