The Bureau of Labor Statistics has released jobs data for January 2026. Healthcare continues to grow, adding 82,000 jobs in January alone. A deeper analysis reveals meaningful and valid questions to address for Nurses and the future profession. Reclassifying nursing outside of the “professional degree” loan category, as is the recent decision from the U.S. Department of Education, will have long-term consequences.

The Department of Education has plans to redefine what constitutes a professional degree which would exclude nursing and limit access to student loans from the Graduate PLUS loan program. At a time when health care in our country faces a historic nursing shortage, limiting nurses' access to funding for graduate education threatens the very foundation of patient care and is not a solution.

The Nursing shortage is a problem of global proportions and requires immediate solutions. Leaders must work together to avoid a crisis.