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Gov. Josh Shapiro visited Temple University this week where he promoted his $5 million program to address Pennsylvania’s nursing shortage. The initiative, aimed at bolstering the state’s healthcare workforce through tuition assistance and hospital partnerships, is part of the governor’s 2025-26 budget.

The Nurse Shortage Assistance Program would provide funding to hospitals that collaborate with nursing schools, helping cover tuition costs for students who commit to working in Pennsylvania hospitals for at least three years after graduation. The goal, state officials say, is to increase nurse retention and expand the “pipeline” of professionals entering the field.

“We need to take action now to address Pennsylvania’s nursing shortage, and my budget makes strategic investments to do just that,” Shapiro said. “By expanding education programs, providing tuition assistance and strengthening workforce pipelines, we can ensure hospitals have the skilled professionals they need to deliver high-quality patient care.”

The proposal comes as hospitals across the state report staffing challenges. A recent survey by the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania found that 14% of nursing positions remain unfilled. The shortage is projected to grow, with an estimated 20,000 additional nurses needed in the state by 2026.

Shapiro was joined at the event by Nancy Walker, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, who said the effort is coming “at a crucial time.”

“This is really a crisis right now,” Walker said. “We have an aging population in Pennsylvania, so these numbers are just going to continue to go up over the next 10 years.”

The nursing shortage in Pennsylvania reflects a broader national trend. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing projects that 900,000 nurses, or about one-fifth of the registered nurses in the U.S., intend to leave the workforce by 2027. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that jobs in the field will additionally increase by that number over the next 10 years, as well.

The governor’s plan appears to build on existing efforts at schools like Temple Health, which launched their Nurse Scholar Program last year. That initiative offers students up to $40,000 in tuition assistance in exchange for a two- to three-year commitment to work at Temple Health after graduation. To date, the program has received nearly 200 applications from students at 18 partner schools.