Beyond the Headlines: The Hidden Registered Nurse (RN) Workforce in North Carolina
North Carolina’s nursing shortage includes a large, underused reserve of licensed but inactive or unemployed nurses. Drawing on licensure data, surveys, and program evidence, this commentary identifies why nurses disengage and outlines a five-part, near-term strategy to re-engage this workforce using existing state infrastructure.
Authors
- Jill M. Forcina (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6293-5149)
- Meghan K. Davenport (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4040-1151)
- Katie Fitzpatrick (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1769-2168)
- Kaniqua Outlaw (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1140-8111)
Institutions
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte (US)
- Coastal Area Health Education Center (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- North Carolina Medical Journal
- Published
- 2026-06-30
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.18043/001c.162602
- Primary Topic
- Global Health Workforce Issues
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill