TRENTON, N.J. – One of the Assembly’s most knowledgeable members on health care, Assemblywoman Nancy Munoz, proposed two bills to combat the nurse staffing shortages that are being exacerbated by an aging population and now the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, New Jersey will have the third largest nurse shortage in the country by 2030.
Munoz, who spent decades as a licensed registered nurse, discusses the need for more educated nurses to meet the growing demands in health care in a new video released by the GOP today.
Munoz’ first bill (A1759) increases access to Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees by allowing county colleges to award BSNs. The second bill (A1760) would remove unnecessary protocols that have restricted nurse practitioners’ abilities to do their jobs to the full extent of their education and training. It would also help patients receive primary care when their doctors are unavailable. The bills have been referred to the Assembly Higher Education and Health committees.