Recently, Governor of New Hampshire Chris Sununu has created the Next Generation Workforce Initiative, which speaks to the lack of nurses and registered nurses in New Hampshire and the necessary education for the future of the profession. The word about the lack of medical professionals has spread to the senate and their desire to help fund as well. US Senator Jeanne Shaheen has secured $2 million in funding for a new health care facility in Manchester in partnership with Catholic Medical Center. This will help local health care for civilians as well as nursing and medical students for on-hand training.

It should not come as a surprise that nursing is the most popular major at Saint Anselm; It has been ranked 121 out of 1,848 colleges for nursing in the United States. It could be due to this, that according to Data USA, Saint Anselm’s most common major in 2019 was nursing, and more specifically, the certification of a registered nurse. Saint Anselm’s nursing statistics are a major attraction for prospective medical students, not only the surface level statistics, but also after college. According to college factual, the average salary for the nurses that come out of Saint Anselm is $64,800, which rises above the national average, that being $61,050. Saint Anselm delivers a greatly valued education for nursing students, and with new funding from the US Senate, the college will continue to be able to deliver this to students.

In an article regarding this new nursing building, United States senator Jeanne Shaheen speaks about the new building and her excitement about it. “I’m thrilled to welcome $2 million, which I worked to secure in the government funding legislation recently signed into law, to build a facility that will propel innovation in health care and deliver quality care to patients in New Hampshire. This facility will be home to hands-on training and simulation centers that ensure our nursing students are equipped with the best education possible.” This new facility will be coming at a great time, with a major lack of medical professionals in New Hampshire, specifically Registered Nurses. In Governor Sununu’s Next Generation Workforce Initiative, he speaks about the lack of medical professionals, and his effort to fix this, similar to Shaheen. “The New Hampshire Department of Employment Security estimates that there will be 906 annual openings for Registered Nurses and 1,169 annual openings for Nursing Assistants (LPNs) through 2026. Governor Sununu is proposing strategic investments into the Community College System of New Hampshire and the University System of New Hampshire to meet the need for nurses.” So while there is a shortage, the state politicians as well as US politicians are working on this need for medical professionals, as well as the need for an increase in a valued education.

While there is a small lack of communication between this new building and the current nursing students at the college, they have optimistic opinions of this new learning opportunity. One

freshman nursing major says “I believe with this, Saint Anselm will continue to rise above competing nursing schools in the area regardless of money. Saint Anselm has always gone above and beyond to make sure we are well-educated, competent, and compassionate nurses.” Besides the students that will be taking in this new learning opportunity, President Favazza stated back in March about this new potential building, “This simulation lab will provide our nursing students a new opportunity for a meaningful, hands-on learning experience. The college is very grateful to Sen. Shaheen for the support and advocacy of this partnership.” As more details come to the surface, the school will hear more about the timeline of this new building and its potential impact on the school and the nursing program.