Since the pandemic, nursing in California has taken a hit.

With an estimated the shortage of 36,000 licensed nurses, a decade long shortage that was exacerbated by COVID-19 and limited capacity at current programs, the state needs more nurses.

A possible solution? Provide opportunities through community colleges that would not only break down a barrier of entry, but diversify the workforce. Senate Bill 895 would require the office of the Chancellor for the California Community Colleges to pilot 15 nursing bachelor degree programs throughout the state. If passed, the effectiveness of the programs would be evaluated on or before July 1, 2032.

Community colleges are known to be the most affordable option in pursuing higher education in the state. They are hubs for communities of color and more mature students, said Christina Kelley, the education director for the American Nurses Association.

There is no majority racial group across for nurses the state, with 59% of the workforce identifying as non-white. However, the state is seeing a lack of Latino and Black representation among registered nurses, a survey from the University of San Francisco found.

Hispanics and Latino make up 40% of California’s population. Yet, they only make up 9% of the registered nursing workforce. The same study found Black Americans only make up 5% of California nurses with licenses and residences.

Currently, 70% of students attending a California community college come from a diverse ethnic background with a majority identifying as Hispanic and or Latino, according to the Chancellor’s Office. By diversifying the nursing workforce, it helps a patient’s experience.

“Seeing their caregiver as someone who looks like them, who speaks their language, who believes in things they believe in, helps puts a patient’s mind at ease,” Kelley said. “We have a duty as nurses to ensure that our body of professional nurses matches the population we serve.”

Diversifying the nursing workforce could provide repair trust for Black and brown communities and health care providers, Kelley said. To some, distrust can be traced to past experiences with discrimination and a history of unethical medical procedures. Seven in 10 Black Americans say they’ve been treated unfairly by health care providers, a survey from the Commonwealth Fund found.

“Every hospital or care organization that delivers care to the community should always look like their population served,” Kelley said. “Our population served should match the person giving the care. It creates a more comfortable space, a more trusting space.”

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