Valued Voice

The Wisconsin Board of Nursing (BON), at their June 12, 2025 meeting, heard from associations representing hospitals, nursing homes, nurse leaders, nurses and nursing schools, all in support of modifying Chapter N1, the BON administrative rule chapter guiding approval of nursing schools, to allow an expanded role for experienced bachelor’s-prepared registered nurses (BSNs) to serve as clinical faculty.

On April 1, 2025, WHA and a coalition of nurse employers sent a letter to BON. The coalition of nurse employers led by WHA included the Medical Group Management Association, Leading Age Wisconsin, the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative and the Wisconsin Organization of Nurse Leaders. The coalition wrote to BON: “We are reaching out with an opportunity for the Board of Nursing (BON) to better align state minimum standards for nursing schools to accreditation standards, to break down barriers to individuals wanting to pursue a nursing career, and to offer experienced baccalaureate nurses (BSNs) an opportunity to pursue an expanded role in education.”

Nurse leaders from across the state joined WHA Senior Vice President of Workforce and Clinical Practice Ann Zenk to share with the Board the impact of the nursing shortage on their nurses, their organizations and the communities they serve and their support for the proposal. Leaders from Beloit Health System, Children’s Wisconsin, Emplify Health and SSM Health described their partnerships with nursing schools, the clinical rotations they provide and the key contributions their experienced registered nurses already make to the education of future nurses. In addition to creating more clinical sites and allowing for expanded enrollment, the hospital leaders explained that allowing their experienced BSNs this opportunity would be a source of satisfaction for nurses and would help expand clinical hours in non-traditional times, such as evenings and weekends. Leaders from the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative (RWHC) and Leading Age Wisconsin weighed in also, letting BON know rural hospitals and long-term care will lend every support possible.

Organizations representing nurses and nursing schools also weighed in on the topic at the June BON meeting. On June 3, 2025, the Wisconsin Nurses Association sent BON a memo titled “Considerations in Allowing Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing (BSN) to serve as Clinical Instructors in Wisconsin’s Nursing Education Programs” that outlines WNA’s work with the Administrators of Nursing Education in Wisconsin (ANEW) to consider the utilization of BSNs to serve in the role of a clinical instructor. WNA and ANEW note, “Allowing BSNs to serve as clinical instructors for all pre-nursing licensed nursing students helps expand clinical teaching capacity without compromising quality.” Adding her support as co-chair of the ANEW legislative committee, Kerri Kliminski, Dean of the School of Nursing at Madison Area Technical College, provided public comment to BON noting, “Experienced BSN nurses provide exceptional clinical experience for nursing students.”

WHA’s Zenk closed out the coalition’s presentation to the Board, expressing appreciation for the partnerships between hospitals, health care employers, nurses, nursing schools and the Board of Nursing to expand BSNs role as clinical faculty. WHA’s workforce expert asked BON to take urgent action to address a nursing shortage that will continue to be exacerbated by the aging of the large baby boom generation that is increasing health care demand; a trend Zenk noted will continue through 2040 and beyond.  

Following their discussion with WHA, the BON requested DSPS staff to draft a Scope Statement for a review of N1 and to look to the Emergency Rules procedure to address the rules regarding BSNs as clinical faculty as expeditiously as possible.