Dr. Keith Curry
You know what it is – Everything we do, yeah, we do it “big.”
When I say “do it big,” I mean BIG – Bold, Impactful, and Giving – and always unapologetic.
Bold
Being bold means being unafraid of facing challenges head-on. In the fall of 2024, I began working with Dr. Nathan Evans, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Academic and Student Affairs and Chief Academic Officer at the California State University Office of the Chancellor, to explore their interest in addressing a potential solution to the critical nursing shortage and BSN completion rates in Los Angeles County. From there, the Los Angeles County Nursing 2035 Initiative was founded. This was in direct response to last year's veto message from California State Governor Gavin Newsom regarding California Senate Bill 895 and Assembly Bill 2104, which stated that the 2024 California State Budget Agreement included $60 million per year, from 2025-2026 to 2028-2029, for the Rebuilding Nursing Infrastructure Grant Program, which may be used to develop or expand Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) partnerships with higher education institutions.
Furthermore, Governor Newsom also requested that all segments of higher education continue to collaborate on building these programs together. Dr. Evans and I have included the 19 community colleges in Los Angeles County, the five California State University campuses, industry, and industry partners in this work. We have established a steering committee, which the two of us co-chair and is meeting regularly. The steering committee will release our Los Angeles County Nursing 2035 Initiative Report in November 2025, which will include a publicly available dashboard and recommendations to address the nursing shortage in Los Angeles County. This is a bold initiative, but think about the potential impact we can have together in the communities we serve. Below are some of the preliminary data from the report:
One of the key insights emerging from this research is the stark difference in experiences for new nurses entering the job market after graduation versus the experience of more tenured RNs. 20% of new RNs are struggling to secure their first nursing job within six months of graduation, with many hospitals reporting that they have far more applicants for their entry-level roles than they have capacity to hire. In contrast, hospitals are struggling to find the experienced RNs they need to operate effectively. This shortage of experienced nurses adds additional stress to an already difficult job, causing nurses to burn out and leave, putting even more pressure on the overtaxed system. The nursing shortage is a real issue, but we are taking significant steps to address it in Los Angeles County.
