Are nurse scientists on the verge of extinction?
- Nurse scientists turn frontline insights into life-saving innovations, but shrinking funding puts their work at risk.
- Eliminating the National Institute of Nursing Research threatens vital work that supports key health priority initiatives such as rural care, chronic disease management, and health equity.
- All nurses can help protect nursing science through advocacy, collaboration, and mentorship.
Before she reaches the room, the nurse hears Olivia’s* wheezing. It’s spring tilling season in the rural community, and dust and agricultural debris fill the ED with patients struggling to breathe. The nurse steadies the nebulizer against 7-year-old Olivia’s face. The hospital, which serves three tribal nations and hundreds of miles of ranchland, has no pediatric respiratory therapists and only two nurses. The family drove 70 miles to get here. “If we had a way to monitor her at home,” her mother says, “we could’ve caught it before it got this bad.”
This nurse doesn’t just see an acute asthma exacerbation; she sees a pattern. What’s missing isn’t clinical skill but tools, data, infrastructure, and prevention.
The role of nurse scientists
Empowered by federal funding, such as the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), nurse scientists generate evidence that prevents, not just treats, crises. But this essential group is at risk of disappearing.
Shrinking pipeline, growing crisis
NINR funds research that reduces hospital stays, improves chronic care, and advances equity. In FY2024, NINR funded millions of dollars in grants and awards. For example, a nurse scientist developed a wearable device to monitor asthma symptoms in children like Olivia.
Despite its impact, NINR’s budget accounts for less than 0.5% of total NIH funding. Now, even that modest footprint faces risk of termination. The proposed 2026 federal budget includes full elimination of NINR.
The cost of losing nursing science
Imagine instead the possibilities when nursing science receives support. Olivia participates in a nurse-led, NINR-funded study that equips her with a wearable sensor. Her parents receive alerts of early warning signs through an app. A local community health worker arrives with a nebulizer, preventing a dangerous asthma attack and a 70-mile drive. In Olivia’s region, asthma-related admissions decrease, rural providers gain more time for critical cases, and community trust in the local health system grows.
What nurses can do
Nurse scientist extinction isn’t inevitable. You can help:
- Voice concerns. Advocate to policymakers.
- Support and collaborate. Participate in research, join shared governance councils.
- Learn and share. Stay informed on projects that affect your community. Share what you learn with patients, colleagues, and leadership.
- Mentor and build. If you’re a nurse scientist, bring clinical nurses into your projects, mentor early-career nurses, and talk about the importance of nurse-led research.
Call to action
Nursing science enhances care quality, reduces disparities, and builds systems that work. Investing in nurse-led research ensures that data and dignity guide care. Act now to avoid nurse scientists “extinction.”
*Name is fictitious.
Elizabeth Johnson is an assistant professor in the College of Nursing at Montana State University. Meghan Turchioe is an assistant professor at Columbia University School of Nursing. Benjamin J Galatzan is an assistant professor at the University of Alabama Birmingham. Christina Baker is an assistant teaching professor at City University New York. Ann Weiben is a clinical assistant professor and postdoctoral trainee at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
American Nurse Journal. 2025; 20(9). Doi: 10.51256/ANJ092584
References
Cunningham T, Geyer T. Peer support and nurse well-being. Am Nurse J. 2023;18(9):28-30. doi:10.51256/ANJ092328. https://www.myamericannurse.com/peer-support-and-nurse-well-being/
Health Resources and Services Administration. Nurse Workforce Projections, 2020–2035. November 2022. bhw.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/bureau-health-workforce/Nursing-Workforce-Projections-Factsheet.pdf
Kaiser Family Foundation. White House releases FY26 budget request. May 2, 2025. kff.org/global-health-policy/fact-sheet/white-house-releases-fy26-budget-request/
Montgomery S, Brouwer WA, Everett PC, et al. Genetics in the clinical setting. Am Nurse Today. 2017;12(10):10-6. myamericannurse.com/genetics-clinical-setting
National Institute of Nursing Research. Congressional Justification FY 2025. 2024. www.ninr.nih.gov/sites/default/files/docs/NINR_FY25_CJ_Chapter_FINAL_508.pdf
National Institute of Nursing Research. Development of an automated device for asthma monitoring. November 27, 2023. www.ninr.nih.gov/newsandevents/featured-research/development-automated-device-asthma-monitoring
Key words: nursing research, funding, implementation science, nursing policy
