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Excluding nursing from professional degree classification jeopardizes efforts to strengthen and expand the U.S. nursing workforce

SILVER SPRING, MD – November 10, 2025 – The American Nurses Association (ANA) is concerned by the Department of Education’s exclusion of nursing from the definition of “professional degree” programs under forthcoming federal loan eligibility rules. This will severely restrict access to critical funding for graduate nursing education, undermining efforts to grow and sustain the nursing workforce.

“Nurses make up the largest segment of the healthcare workforce and the backbone of our nation’s health system,” said Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, president of the American Nurses Association. “At a time when healthcare in our country faces a historic nurse shortage and rising demands, limiting nurses’ access to funding for graduate education threatens the very foundation of patient care. In many communities across the country, particularly in rural and underserved areas, advanced practice registered nurses ensure access to essential, high-quality care that would otherwise be unavailable. We urge the Department of Education to recognize nursing as the essential profession it is and ensure access to loan programs that make advanced nursing education possible.”

ANA encourages the Department to engage with nursing stakeholders and revise the “professional degree” definition to explicitly include nursing education pathways. Ensuring robust support for nursing education is essential to the future of safe, quality care delivery.

Sign The Petition To Demand Change Here

Nurse staffing recognized as a core element of patient safety through elevation to National Performance Goals

SILVER SPRING, MD – October 13, 2025 – The American Nurses Association (ANA) proudly celebrates a historic victory for nurses and patients alike: for the first time ever, nurse staffing has been elevated within The Joint Commission’s National Patient Safety Goals, now renamed the National Performance Goals.

This milestone marks the culmination of years of tireless advocacy, collaboration, and leadership by ANA and its partners, who worked to elevate safe staffing as a core component of patient safety and care quality. The new National Performance Goal 12 requires health care organizations to demonstrate compliance with policies and procedures related to nurse staffing and numeration, including the requirement that a nurse is on duty whenever Critical Access Hospitals have one or more inpatients. The standard will take effect January 1, 2026, carrying significant implications for accreditation and reimbursement.

"Today’s achievement is a defining moment for the nursing profession and for patient care across the nation," said Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, President of the American Nurses Association. "For decades, nurses have sounded the alarm that safe staffing saves lives. The inclusion of nurse staffing as a national performance goal validates what nurses have always known, that adequate staffing is essential to prevent patient harm, improve patient outcomes, and create a safer environment. While this marks a tremendous step forward, we will continue to advocate for all accrediting bodies to adopt similar standards so that every hospital upholds safe staffing as a top priority."

Through convening the National Nurse Staffing Task Force, ANA played a key role in advancing this change, alongside its partners at the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) and others. 

Katie Boston-Leary, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FADLN, FAONL, Senior Vice President of Equity & Engagement for American Nurses Enterprise, served as ANA’s facilitator on the task force.

"This outcome demonstrates the power of persistence and the influence of the nursing voice in shaping national policy," said Boston-Leary. "It shows what’s possible when we lead with evidence, unity, and an unwavering focus on patient safety."

For more information on the new National Performance Goals, Click Here. 

Position Description

We sat down with Shea Amoriggi, MBA, BSN, RN, the recently elected RISNA Treasurer, to learn about her unique nursing career, philosophy, and journey.

Q: In your practice setting, what do you wish other nurses knew about the work you do every day?

A: As a Strategy, Planning & Optimization Consultant, I leverage data analysis tools, project management principles, and critical thinking to help guide informed decision-making and strategic action planning that aligns with organizational goals, particularly those focused on future growth and transformation. I wish more nurses recognized how their clinical expertise can serve as a powerful foundation for diverse and impactful career paths they may not have previously considered. Joining RISNA is an excellent way to explore the broad spectrum of roles available to nurses and to connect with opportunities that extend into a variety of settings

A:  For me, being part of the change in the future of nursing means embracing change through continuous learning, advocacy, and by building meaningful relationships with our fellow nurses. Nursing is a dynamic and evolving profession and staying engaged and informed is key to driving progress and shaping the profession.

Q: What is something you have done in your nursing career that you are most proud of and why?

Thomas Sargent shares his journey through stress and exhaustion to recovery

Growing up, Thomas Sargent, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC, regularly participated in sports and physical activity. Soccer, tennis, and other sports played important roles in his childhood. "Staying active in sports was a fun part of my life," he recalled. "I never considered how physical fitness might impact other aspects of my health until much later."

Now a parent, husband, and full-time psychiatric nurse practitioner, Sargent sees the connection between physical health and mental well-being---for himself and his patients.

"Nursing requires enormous mental and emotional energy and strength," he said. "We're humans just like the patients we care for, and we need to do the same physical and mental 'work' we guide them to do."

Sargent, a Texas Nurses Association member, began his nursing career in a fast-paced emergency department. Providing life-saving care is very rewarding, but it can come at a cost.

"ER nurses see many traumatic events and situations," he said. "But the job requires us to compartmentalize our feelings and stay in 'go mode.' We often don't get a chance to process our trauma, because we need to remain focused on our patients." It wasn't until he moved into mental healthcare that he realized how much his internalized stress affected all aspects of his life.

Stress takes a toll

When he began his role as a nurse practitioner for an addiction psychiatry clinic, Sargent discovered a different kind of work stress. His patients faced serious challenges in their day-to-day lives, from housing and food insecurity to lack of social support. Although he could help them with referrals to social workers, there were certain areas he couldn't do anything about, which felt bleak.

"I started to experience severe fatigue," he recalls. "I didn't want to talk to people. I wasn't as engaged with my wife and children, and I grew distant from my friends."

Sargent knew he was experiencing signs of burnout. "At first, I tried to fake it, but I knew that wasn't the answer," he said. He reflected on ways he could improve his energy levels and mental health, and one key item jumped out at him: physical activity.

"I had stopped exercising because I didn't feel like I had the time or energy," he said. For Sargent, this renewed focus on fitness was a turning point in his wellness journey.

A multi-pronged approach

Sargent chose first to bicycle his way back to fitness. He had bought his wife an exercise bike during the COVID-19 pandemic and ended up really enjoying it. He added running to the mix and plans to incorporate tennis into his regimen. "I've always loved tennis, and I hope to share that love with my daughter by teaching her the game," he said.

The fitness began to pay off, and Sargent felt more energy and less stress. Next, he began journaling. "I wrote down three blessings per day and ended up with 1,098 blessings by the end of the year." He feels so much better after prioritizing those two things. He points out that perfection isn't the goal. "Some days, just showing up is good enough," he said.

The last step for Sargent was making a career change. After reflection, he is transitioning to a full-time faculty position at a university, helping to develop future nurse leaders. "It's OK to get 'unstuck' and make a change that nourishes the spirit," he said.

"Many people think wellness is a luxury. It's not," Sargent observed. "We can achieve wellness with small actions that add up to the larger goal. If we're not caring for ourselves, we can't properly care for others."

Thomas Sargent is a psychiatric nurse practitioner. He also is an alumnus of the Minority Fellowship Program at the American Nurses Association. Adapted with permission from Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation. Try one of our monthly wellness challenges at hnhn.org.