Advocacy Alert: Protect Graduate Nursing Education and the APRN Workforce

Hello North Dakota Nurse Practitioner Association members and colleagues,

The Association would like to bring your attention to a critical federal policy issue affecting graduate nursing education. The U.S. Department of Education has proposed excluding graduate nursing programs from the definition of a “professional degree.”

If enacted, this change would significantly reduce the amount that graduate nursing students may borrow through federally subsidized student loan programs. This proposal poses a serious threat to the future nursing workforce, particularly Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs), and could also negatively impact the pipeline of qualified nursing faculty.

An attached Advocacy Action Alert outlines several ways you can engage and advocate on this issue. We strongly encourage you to take time to advocate for APRN education programs to be included in the Department of Education’s definition of professional degrees. Protecting access to graduate nursing education is essential to sustaining the APRN workforce and ensuring access to high-quality care across North Dakota.

Thank you for your advocacy and continued support.

Sincerely,

North Dakota Nurse Practitioner Association