Compass Staff |
The nursing crisis is much more complex, nuanced, and protracted than any of the labor shortages we’ve ever seen before. The pandemic didn’t just strain resources; it exposed the fragile foundations of an industry already stretched to the brink. And it revealed the urgent need to solve multiple challenges at once: burnout, an aging workforce, and fewer nursing graduates.
These three recent charts — illustrating new Guild and Lightcast data — provide a snapshot of the crisis and offer insights to solving it.
1. The gap between average postings and actual hires
According to Lightcast data from March 2024 to February 2025, 117,265 Registered Nurses (RNs) were hired each month over the past year. The average number of newly posted job openings was 187,083 per month over the same period. For healthcare employers, the math is urgent: Unless new talent pipelines are built, roles will remain unfilled, patient care will suffer, and the pressure on existing staff will continue to rise.
2. The ever-growing nursing skill-v.-demand gap
Many aspiring RNs lack critical competencies in advanced patient care and nursing technology. Traditional education pipelines aren’t developing talent fast enough, leaving healthcare systems struggling to fill critical positions. According to the same data set, the nursing skill-v.-demand gap is big and growing.
3. The importance of nurturing future nurses from within
In the past year, the most common pathways to become a RN for Guild learners and according to Lightcast data were nursing assistants, medical and health services managers, health technologists and technicians, and licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses. This internal mobility is crucial given the challenges of finding role-ready talent on the job and the ongoing nursing-school crisis. In 2023, for example, U.S. nursing schools turned away 65,766 qualified applicants due to faculty shortages, limited clinical sites, classroom space, and budget constraints, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). All told, this data underscores the importance of nurturing future nurses from within.
Takeaways for healthcare HR leaders
Providing access to career-aligned education and skilling pathways is essential to solving the nursing crisis. But that’s not enough. Persistent support, particularly through academic coaching and on-the-job mentorship, enables adult learners to stay enrolled, complete their programs, and succeed in clinical roles. Nurses enrolled in Guild-supported programs were 1.7 times less likely to leave their employer than non-participating peers, a result attributable, in part, to coaching and mentoring.
Based on Guild data of learners who have successfully completed educational and skilling programs, particularly RNs, success hinges on a number of factors. We interviewed a Guild nursing learner (named “Julie”) to shed light on what led to her success.
1. Connecting effort to outcome
Employees often doubt whether education will lead to career advancement. In our experience, they need evidence of two things before taking the leap: (1) they need to see that programs are linked to actual opportunities to advance in their organization and (2) they need proof points in the form of testimonials from employees like them.
Julie never saw herself getting a bachelor’s or nursing degree. Her story changed when she recognized the possibilities in her education benefit, which linked her learning with internal mobility. Her story inspired her sister to do the same.
“I just wanted my RN and I was gonna work as an ER bedside nurse forever. Well now I have a kid and a family ... I got my bachelor’s and that actually opened up a door for an admin slash leadership role.” - Guild learner
2. Coaching and managerial support
Manager engagement is one of the most influential factors in learner success. Learners are more likely to persist when managers regularly check in during key moments — like midterms or finals — and help troubleshoot challenges like imposter syndrome or burnout. Ambassador programs, where experienced learners mentor others, can reinforce this support at the peer level.
“Me and my manager and one of the [certified registered nurse anesthetists] … sat down and we wrote [a nurse-driven order set] … To be a nurse, to be able to write an order set for a provider with the knowledge that I learned from this program — I mean, that’s kind of unheard of,” she said.
3. Recognition and reward systems
Learners need to feel that their learning achievements are both recognized and rewarded. Career opportunities for learners are crucial, yet so are systems that shine a light on the value and impact of education:Small gestures such as digital badges and graduation ceremonies reinforce a culture of advancement and encourage continued progress. As Julie put it, “I’ve only had my Bachelor of Science in Nursing for two weeks now and I’m already getting offers for moving up the chain. Without this opportunity, I wouldn’t be able to move up in my role as a nurse.”
What we know from our data is that solving the nursing shortage requires an intentional strategy for identifying internal talent, investing in career-aligned education, and providing the coaching, flexibility, and support structures that enable learners to persist and advance.
