The pathway into nursing is rarely straightforward. I grew up in a working-class family—my father drove trucks, the women in my family worked in a hosiery mill, and my grandfather spent his life in a furniture factory. College felt out of reach. When I became a nursing assistant in 2004, I could afford only one community college class at a time. A nurse I worked with, who later became my greatest mentor, was the first to tell me I could become a nurse. With her guidance and the support of federal loans, I completed a BSN and eventually earned both an MSN and a DNP. These opportunities opened the door to serving as an advanced practice nurse, educator, and nurse leader.

It’s through this lens, one shared by many nurses whose academic journeys were only possible because financial support existed, that I view the Department of Education’s proposal to reclassify professional degree programs. The proposal would remove graduate nursing degrees from the category used to determine federal borrowing limits and sharply reduce the aid available to nursing students pursuing advanced practice, leadership, education, or research preparation. Although described as a technical revision, the implications are far from procedural. The change suggests that advanced nursing education requires less investment than other health professions.

The timing could not be more perilous. Nursing is navigating converging pressures that affect not only the workforce but also the systems we serve and the patients who rely on us. Workforce surveys continue to document rising burnout, declining job satisfaction, and concerning turnover trends. The Future of Nursing 2020–2030 report makes clear that workforce growth won’t be evenly distributed across states, and some regions already face acute shortages. At the same time, demand for graduate-prepared nurses is accelerating. Labor projections show substantial growth in the need for nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, and nurse anesthetists in the coming decade. These clinicians are essential to primary care access, mental health services, and chronic disease management, and they improve access in rural and underserved communities.

The need for graduate-prepared nurses also extends beyond direct care. Faculty shortages limit enrollment in RN and APRN programs, and many qualified applicants are turned away due to insufficient faculty and preceptor capacity. Graduate-prepared clinical nurse leaders guide quality improvement efforts and redesign care processes. Nursing scientists and doctoral-prepared educators generate new knowledge and mentor emerging nurses in practice and science. Each of these roles requires advanced nursing education, and each is threatened when that education becomes financially out of reach.

When federal loan availability narrows, a cascade of consequences follows. Fewer nurses pursue graduate degrees because the financial burden becomes untenable. Fewer educators are prepared to teach. Fewer preceptors support APRN trainees. Fewer nurse leaders stabilize healthcare systems. Fewer nurse researchers produce evidence to advance health equity and innovation. Communities with limited access to care—particularly rural and historically marginalized populations—will experience the effects first.

These outcomes aren’t theoretical. They represent direct threats to patient safety and public health.

This is why the federal government’s proposal has mobilized the profession. More than two dozen national organizations representing practice, education, regulation, leadership, and specialty care have expressed concern. It’s uncommon to see such swift alignment across the nursing continuum. Their message is clear: Restricting access to graduate nursing education will weaken workforce stability, widen inequities, and diminish the nation’s ability to meet growing healthcare demands.

Graduate nursing education has long been central to the profession’s identity. These programs prepare advanced practice nurses, leaders, educators, and scientists whose contributions influence population health and system performance. Reclassifying them in a way that limits access to financing is misaligned with the needs of modern healthcare and inconsistent with the expectations placed on the nursing workforce.

My own advancement—earning undergraduate and graduate degrees, followed by board and specialty certification—was possible because federal financial pathways removed barriers that would have otherwise been insurmountable. Those resources allowed me to pursue advanced training and step into roles that support the next generation of nurses. Future students deserve the same opportunity. The nation depends on it.

I remain grateful for the humble roots that shaped my entry into nursing and for the nurses who guided me with diligence, skill, and compassion. That ethos—defined by service, integrity, and a belief that nursing should be accessible to those called to it—is now at risk. When federal support erodes, so does the foundation that has allowed nursing to grow into a cornerstone of the U.S. healthcare system.

We can’t wait for others to defend the pathways that built and sustained this workforce. Action is required. Nurses, students, educators, healthcare consumers, and decision makers can:

• Submit public comments and contact legislators to protect graduate loan access
• Mobilize through professional organizations for a unified response
• Mentor students and be transparent about the actual costs of graduate education
• Urge institutions to expand scholarships, tuition support, loan repayment, and paid clinical training
• Protect pathways for first-generation, rural, and marginalized students
• Partner with academic and clinical leaders to strengthen faculty and preceptor capacity
• Hold healthcare systems accountable for investing in professional development
• Share personal stories to illuminate the human impact of this policy

We are charged with protecting the foundations of our profession. Limiting access to graduate nursing education is not a bureaucratic adjustment. It is a direct threat to workforce stability, health equity, and the future of care delivery in this country.

Joshua Barnes, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, NP-C, CCRN, CNE is Assistant Professor of Nursing at Wingate University/East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina.

 References

American Academy of Nursing. AAN echoes concerns regarding patient outcomes if nursing is not recognized as a professional degree. November 24, 2025. aannet.org/news/715257

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. 2022 data on new nurse graduates and employers preferences. November 16, 2022. aacnnursing.org/news-data/all-news/employment-22

 American Association of Colleges of Nursing. AACN alarmed over Department of Education’s proposed limitation of student loan access for nursing. November 7, 2025. aacnnursing.org/news-data/all-news/article/aacn-alarmed-over-department-of-educations-proposed-limitation-of-student-loan-access-for-nursing

 American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Nursing shortage fact sheet. May 2024. aacnnursing.org/news-information/fact-sheets/nursing-shortage

 American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology. Proposed student loan cap puts nurse anesthesia education and patient care at risk. November 26, 2025. aana.com/news/proposed-student-loan-cap-puts-nurse-anesthesia-education-and-patient-care-at-risk/

 American Nurses Association. Statement from the American Nurses Association on proposed federal loan policy changes. November 10, 2025. nursingworld.org/news/news-releases/2025/statement-from-the-american-nurses-association-on-proposed-federal-loan-policy-changes/

 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The Future of Nursing 2020–2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2021. doi:10.17226/25982

 National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health. National NP organizations express concern over Department of Education negotiated rulemaking. December 2, 2025. npwh.org/news/715603/

 National League for Nursing. National League for Nursing strongly opposes Department of Education refusal to classify nursing as a professional discipline. December 1, 2025. nln.org/detail-pages/news/2025/12/01/national-league-for-nursing-strongly-opposes-department-of-education-refusal-to-classify-nursing-as-a-professional-discipline

 Smiley RA, Allgeyer RL, Shobo Y, et al. The 2022 National Nursing Workforce Survey. J Nurs Regul.2023;14(Suppl 1):S1–90. doi:10.1016/S2155-8256(23)00047-9

 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational outlook handbook: Nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners. August 28, 2025. bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/nurse-anesthetists-nurse-midwives-and-nurse-practitioners.htm

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational outlook handbook: Registered nurses. August 18, 2025. bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/registered-nurses.htm