Governor Stein Calls on Secretary McMahon to Classify Health Care Programs as Professional Degrees

Today Governor Josh Stein urged Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to reverse last month’s decision that would make it more difficult for people to pursue many professional and graduate-level health care degree programs. Governor Stein is committed to strengthening the health care workforce pipeline so North Carolinians can be healthy and safe. 

“North Carolina is already challenged to address a significant nursing shortage,” said Governor Stein. “Reducing the number of nurses qualified to teach will reduce the number of seats available to nursing students across the state. We should be reducing barriers for people who want careers in the health care fields, not creating them.”  

North Carolina suffers from a greater-than-average nursing shortage. One 2025 report found an approximately 13 percent vacancy rate of registered nurses across the state and a 15 percent vacancy rate in rural counties, compared to an average of 10 percent nationally. The state vacancy rate stands at approximately one-third for licensed practical nurses. Another report rated North Carolina’s shortage of nursing-related professionals the eighth worst in the United States. By 2033, North Carolina will require an estimated 17,500 additional nursing professionals to meet the demands of our rapidly growing population.   

North Carolina has made bipartisan progress to address this issue, which the Department of Education’s proposal would impede. In 2023, the North Carolina General Assembly appropriated $55 million for the state’s community college system to address shortages in fields like nursing. These investments helped fund 108 programs across all 58 community colleges, including 32 associate degree in nursing (ADN) and practical nursing (PN) programs. Last year, the UNC System invested $29 million in expanding nursing programs at 12 public universities and Area Health Education Centers.  

Governor Stein has called for $10 million to be directed toward to North Carolina’s Independent Colleges and Universities and $1 million to Area Health Education Centers to expand the state’s workforce in nursing and other high-demand health care fields. Governor Stein has also highlighted additional pathways like workforce and apprenticeship programs to help North Carolinians enter the nursing field. In March, he recognized sisters Haylee and Emily Orellana at the State of the State for their participation in Surry Community College and Surry Yadkin Works’s nursing apprenticeship program, allowing them to earn certified nursing credentials while they were still in high school.

Click here to read Governor Stein’s letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.