Nursing in the Rural West - Challenges and Opportunities for Supporting Rural Students and Communities

Oct 15, 2026

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The brief examines rural nursing as a critical pillar of rural healthcare, rooted in insights gathered from stakeholders in Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming. It analyzes how geographic isolation and compounded financial constraints intersect with rural clinical learning barriers, faculty shortages, limited placement capacity, and shortages of preceptors. It also outlines how the COVID-19 pandemic intensified workforce shortages and why coordinated, evidence-informed strategies are needed to strengthen rural nursing students, institutions, and employers, including partnerships and train-in-place education models.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

Key Findings

Nursing workforce shortages and program strategies

Common challenges to expanding capacity

Additional geographic and financial barriers

Example strategies and models

INSIGHTS JUNE 2026 Nursing in the Rural West Challenges and Opportunities for Supporting Rural Students and Communities by Colleen Falkenstern I n the summer of 2025, WICHE brought together stakeholders from three mountain West states—Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming—to discuss rural nursing and the challenges and potential solutions for students, institutions, and employers to provide education and care across rural communities in this region. Beyond nursing education, the meeting highlighted the complexity of rural healthcare challengesand the intersection of nursing education with broader rural healthcare accessibility. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the significant challenges facing the nursing profession, with rural communities enduring disproportionate impacts of nursing workforce shortages. These complex and interconnected challenges highlight the importance of understanding which supports are working for rural nursing students. They also underscore the need to help institutions and states make better-informed decisions to advance rural nursing students and, consequently, the rural nursing workforce. This brief starts with the premise—expressed throughout the meeting—that nursing in rural areas is a critical component of rural healthcare. The multifaceted task of advancing nursing in rural areas necessitates support for nursing students from rural areas, as well as for all components of programs that serve those areas. Additionally, nursing programs in urban areas that serve rural students must recognize the importance of preparing students for practicing in rural settings, should they choose to return to their communities. magnifying-glass Key Findings farm Rural communities are more impacted by nursing workforce shortages, making it imperative that all nursing programs, including rural and urban programs, develop strategies and solutions to support the rural nursing workforce. arrow-trend-down Faculty shortages, limited clinical placement capacity, and a shortage of preceptors are the most common challenges for nursing programs seeking to expand capacity. users Rural nursing students face additional geographic and financial challenges, and strategies for supporting rural nursing students must extend beyond tuition support. puzzle Financial investments, innovative partnerships and clinical experiences, and train-in-place education models are examples of strategies to address these challenges and support rural nursing education and workforce development. 1 NURSING IN THE RURAL WEST WI CHE INSIGHTS JUNE 2026 RURAL NURSING CONTEXT It is important to note that while the term “rural”is used throughout this brief, it can, and does, mean many different things. There are several definitions and classifications used across federal and state agencies, including those of the U.S. Census Bureau, which classifies “rural”as all individuals residing outside an area defined as “urban,” with at least 5,000 people or 2,000 housing units.1 The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) defines “rural”using a series of more detailed measures, including the Rural-Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) codes and Road Ruggedness Scale (RRS) codes to determine rurality at the census tract level.2 While these threshold-based definitions of “rural” provide a critical benchmark for research and resource allocation, the unique contexts and lived experiences of rural communities significantly shape access to rural healthcare. Participants in the meeting defined rural in the context of nursing education in several different ways. For example, one participant framed rurality in the context of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and noted that if a person’s needs, including healthcare, cannot be met in their home community, then that community should be considered rural. Additionally, participants noted the lack of healthcare specialists asa common feature of rural healthcare. For example, a third of counties in the United

FAQs

Why does the brief emphasize rural nursing as critical to rural healthcare?

It frames nursing in rural areas as a foundational component of rural healthcare and highlights how improving nursing education directly supports rural communities and the rural workforce.

What are the most common challenges nursing programs face when trying to expand capacity?

The brief identifies faculty shortages, limited clinical placement capacity, and a shortage of preceptors as the most common challenges.

What strategies are suggested to support rural nursing students and workforce development?

It points to financial investment, innovative partnerships, expanded clinical experiences, and train-in-place education models, with attention to barriers beyond tuition support.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Aditya