Building a Sustainable Nursing Workforce for Maryland’s Rural Communities
Maryland’s Eastern Shore faces critical shortages of health care providers, particularly nurses, creating barriers to quality care and long-term health outcomes for the region’s communities. By some estimates, the Eastern Shore has only 70 percent of the necessary number of nurses. The University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON), in partnership with University of Maryland Shore Regional Health, is committed to addressing this challenge by expanding nursing education, clinical training, and workforce development directly on the Shore. This initiative will establish a holistic nursing education pathway and a dedicated Clinical Excellence Center, leveraging UMSON’s nationally recognized expertise and technology-driven learning with Shore Health’s clinical resources to recruit, educate, and retain nurses in the communities where they are most needed.
The Challenge: Nursing Shortages and Workforce Gaps
Health care workforce shortages are not isolated solely to nursing, but it is well known that nursing is the backbone of all health care systems. Severe nurse workforce shortages disproportionately impact the Eastern Shore, where fewer health care providers serve a growing and aging population. A lack of locally trained nurses results in higher turnover rates and difficulty in recruiting culturally representative providers. Barriers to nursing education — such as distance from existing nursing schools, financial constraints, and lack of access to prerequisites — prevent many from pursuing nursing careers, and limited clinical training sites on the Shore further restrict the pipeline of students who gain hands-on experience in the region.
These challenges underscore the need for the University of Maryland Nursing Program on the Eastern Shore (UM-NPES) to create a permanent solution by expanding the number of locally trained nurses who remain in the region and ensuring that the nursing workforce is representative of the communities it serves, leading to better patient outcomes and health equity. UM-NPES will provide a long-term, self-sustaining model that integrates nursing education, clinical experience, and workforce retention.
The Solution: UMSON on the Shore and Clinical Excellence Center
UM-NPES will transform nursing education in rural communities by establishing a comprehensive, locally embedded program that addresses each stop of the nursing pathway:
- Expanding Access to Nursing Education on the Shore
- Innovative, Hybrid Learning Model
- Cutting-Edge Simulation and Clinical Training
- Leadership Development for Current Staff and Managers
- Comprehensive Student and Workforce Support
- Establishing the Named Clinical Excellence Center
The impact and long-term vision of this initiative will create a permanent solution to health care shortages on the Eastern Shore and position UMB as a leader in rural health care education, laying the groundwork for additional health professions training on the Shore.