Nursing Workforce Bill Boosts Funding by $70 Million Annually, Modernizes Training for Advanced Nurses Through 2030

The Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2025 is essentially a massive upgrade and funding renewal for the federal programs that train our nurses. Think of it as restocking the shelves and installing new, high-tech equipment in the nation’s nursing schools. The bill reauthorizes and significantly expands the scope of the federal grant programs designed to combat the persistent nursing shortage.

More Money, More Nurses: The Budget Bump

For most people, the biggest news is the budget. The bill sets new, higher funding levels for key nursing programs through Fiscal Year 2030. For the funding described in Section 871(a), the annual authorization jumps from around $137.8 million to $184.3 million starting in 2026. This is a nearly $47 million annual increase dedicated to strengthening the nursing workforce. Another section of the budget (871(b)) also sees a boost, increasing from $117.1 million to $121.1 million annually. This collective increase—totaling roughly $70 million more per year—is designed to get more people into nursing programs and keep experienced nurses in the education pipeline.

Making Advanced Degrees Accessible

If you’re a nurse looking to specialize—say, becoming a Nurse Practitioner (NP) or a Nurse Anesthetist—this bill makes that path clearer and potentially cheaper. Section 2 expands the Advanced Nursing Education Grants to explicitly cover programs for Nurse Practitioners, Nurse-Midwives, Nurse Anesthetists, and Clinical Nurse Specialists. Crucially, the bill addresses a major pain point in advanced nursing education: the cost of clinical training. Grant money can now explicitly be used to cover the costs of clinical education and paying preceptors—the experienced professionals who supervise students. This is a big deal, as compensating preceptors helps ensure there are enough mentors willing to take on students, which directly translates to more slots in advanced programs.

Training Goes High-Tech and High-Impact

The way nurses are trained is getting a necessary update. Section 3 allows nursing schools to use federal funds for a wider range of modern educational tools. Forget dusty textbooks; schools can now explicitly spend money on audiovisual equipment, simulation tools, augmented reality (AR) resources, and telehealth technologies. This is about preparing nurses for a modern healthcare system that relies heavily on remote care and sophisticated simulation labs. For a nursing student, this means better, more realistic hands-on training before they ever step into a hospital.

Furthermore, the bill broadens the required focus of these training programs. In addition to existing groups, these programs must now specifically include support for survivors of sexual assault, alongside survivors of domestic violence. This ensures that nurses who receive this training are better equipped to handle sensitive patient needs.

Clinical Training Gets Flexible

Getting real-world clinical experience is the bottleneck for many nursing programs. Section 3 tackles this by explicitly allowing nursing programs to partner with a wide array of settings to create or expand clinical opportunities. This includes not just hospitals, but also nurse-managed health clinics, community health centers, and “any other place that provides health care services.” This flexibility is key to getting students the hours they need, potentially moving training closer to where people live and expanding the types of care students experience, from primary care in a community clinic to specialized hospital work. This means quicker graduation times and more nurses entering the workforce faster.