The Nurse Shortage Hits 263,870 in 2026. Here's Who's Holding the Line.
要点总结
- 据美国进步中心预测，到 2026 年，美国将缺少 263,870 名注册护士。
- 移民护士，包括约 3400 名 DACA 受益的注册护士，帮助弥补了语言服务和农村护理方面的不足。
- 联邦学生贷款上限将于 2026 年 7 月生效，但高级护理学位不在受保护名单之列。美国护士协会警告说，这可能会缩减护士教育者的培养渠道。
- 护士短缺的问题不仅在于如何招聘护士，还在于如何留住护士：工作场所暴力和职业倦怠不断迫使人们离职。
短缺问题早已存在。现在，计算变得更加困难了。
美国进步中心6月15日发布的一份新报告，用数字量化了护士们多年来在病床边感受到的困境：到2026年，美国将面临263,870名注册护士的缺口。这并非抽象的概念，而是意味着你每天要照顾的额外两名病人，或是主管护士因为无人接手而不得不承担全部工作。
需求方面并未放缓。美国护理专业协会（CAP）的报告指出，到2060年，约有9470万美国人（约占全国人口的四分之一）将年满65岁或以上，而老年患者需要更频繁、更频繁的护理。在供给方面，美国劳工统计局的数据显示，目前约有330万名注册护士（RN）在职，预计到2034年，每年将新增约18.91万个职位空缺。职位空缺不断出现，但填补这些空缺的人员却没有跟上，至少没有及时补充到位。
究竟是谁在坚守阵地
美国进步中心（CAP）报告中有一部分内容值得仔细研读。它重点介绍了“童年入境暂缓遣返”（DACA）计划的受益者——注册护士。这些人幼年时被带到美国，如今已获得执业资格并从事轮班工作。CAP估计，截至2020年，约有3400名DACA受益者是注册护士，而截至2021年，医疗保健行业中DACA受益者总数约为34000人。
这份报告也指出了语言方面的一个实际问题：在美国，近五分之一的护士会说英语以外的语言，而美国使用的语言超过500种。报告中采访的一位护士，名叫贾斯敏（Jazmine），是一名巡回医疗外科护士，她直言不讳地描述道：“当我的病人意识到我会说西班牙语时，你可以看到他们脸上如释重负的表情。”另一位名叫阿隆德拉（Alondra）的急诊科护士告诉美国护理学会（CAP）：“我一直都知道自己想当护士，我从来没有过第二选择或备选方案。”
This matters most where coverage is already thin. CAP reports that about one-third of rural hospitals are at risk of closure, with around 300 at immediate risk, in a country where 66 million people live in rural areas. When a rural hospital loses a handful of nurses, it does not lose a percentage. It loses a department.
The policy that could make recruitment harder
While the workforce stretches, a financing change is heading for the people who want to enter it. As Business Insider’s Ayelet Sheffey reported, a federal student-loan overhaul set to take effect in July 2026 introduces lifetime borrowing caps — $100,000 for graduate students and $200,000 for students in designated “professional” programs. The Department of Education named 10 qualifying professional programs, including medicine, dentistry, and law. Advanced nursing degrees were not on the list.
That distinction has consequences. A Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist program can cost more than $200,000, and a graduate cap of $100,000 does not stretch to cover it. More than 140 lawmakers from both parties signed a letter opposing the limits on professional-degree borrowing. The Department of Education’s press secretary, Ellen Keast, said that 95 percent of nursing students borrow within the new limits and that already-enrolled students would be grandfathered into current rules. Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, president of the American Nurses Association, warned the change could create “a really bad revolving issue.” Fewer advanced-practice nurses means fewer nurse educators, which means fewer nurses trained behind them.
The shortage is not only a hiring problem in one corner of the country, either. In an Arizona Capitol Times op-ed published June 15, Dr. Keith Frey wrote that Arizona ranks 42nd nationally for its provider-to-population ratio despite being the 14th most populous state, citing HRSA estimates that the state needs hundreds more primary care physicians now and nearly 2,000 more by 2030. The specialty differs; the pattern does not.
Frequently asked questions
How many nurses is the U.S. short in 2026?
The Center for American Progress projects a shortage of 263,870 registered nurses in 2026. About 3.3 million RNs are employed now, with roughly 189,100 openings projected each year through 2034, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics figures cited in the report.
How many DACA recipients work as nurses?
CAP estimates about 3,400 DACA recipients were registered nurses as of 2020, part of roughly 34,000 DACA recipients working across health care as of 2021.
How will the new federal student-loan caps affect nursing?
The overhaul takes effect in July 2026 and caps lifetime borrowing at $100,000 for graduate students and $200,000 for designated professional programs. Advanced nursing degrees were not among the 10 professional programs named, and the American Nurses Association warns this could reduce the supply of advanced-practice nurses and, with them, nurse educators.
Why does the shortage hit rural areas hardest?
美国公共卫生协会（CAP）报告称，约三分之一的乡村医院面临倒闭风险，其中约300家医院面临迫在眉睫的危机。在人手本就捉襟见肘的情况下，失去几名护士就可能导致整个科室关闭，而不仅仅是裁减一部分人手。
我们坐在哪里，以及我们希望您注意什么
我们生产医用工作服。我们不是政策制定机构，我们不会假装更好的制服就能解决人员短缺或贷款上限问题。事实并非如此，如果这么说，就是对真正做事的人的侮辱。我们能做的，就是像你们一样阅读同样的报告，并如实反映报告的内容。
一些坦诚的看法：
- 护士短缺的问题既在于人员留任，也在于招聘。美国护士协会（CAP）引用的一项2023年调查发现，十分之八的护士至少经历过一种形式的职场暴力。如果人员不断流失，即使增加人手也无法解决问题。医院真正应该关注的不仅是招聘到的护士，还有那些能留任两年以上的护士。
- 语言和社区关系是临床优势，而非额外加分项。CAP报告中提到的护士并非只是填补空缺，她们能够接触到其他护士无法触及的患者。仅凭这一点就值得保护。
- 如今做出的融资决策，会在多年后体现在临床实践中。高级执业护士的培养周期很长。2026年设定的上限，到2030年就会成为现实。
这些都不是我们职责范围内需要解决的问题。但受影响的正是我们服务的对象，所以我们不会视而不见。如果你想了解我们是如何看待长时间轮班的日常工作的，那就去 eipnare.com 看看吧，我们在那里对此格外关注。
资料来源：美国进步中心，“美国护士短缺……”（2026 年 6 月 15 日）；《商业内幕》的 Ayelet Sheffey关于联邦学生贷款改革的报道；Keith Frey 博士在《亚利桑那州议会时报》上发表的评论文章（2026 年 6 月 15 日）；美国劳工统计局的数据，引自美国进步中心。
由Eipnare首席运营官Hedy Nie编辑。请在LinkedIn上与她联系。