Strategies

Support acquisition of job-specific skills through education, certification programs, or on-the-job training, often with personal development resources and other supports

Prohibit criminal history questions on job applications and postpone background checks

Offer programs to help individuals without a high school diploma or its equivalent achieve a high school equivalency credential

Pair new nurses with more experienced nurses who act as a resource and provide support as the new nurse establishes her or himself professionally

Use regulation to extend nurse practitioners’ (NPs’) scope of practice to provide care to the full scope of their training and skills without physician oversight, especially for primary care

Implement programs that continue education, mentoring, and support for novice nurses following graduation

Make clinician, hospital, clinic, long-term care facility, and insurance plan performance on health care quality measures publicly available via report cards, reporting websites, or similar tools

Provide industry-focused education and job training based on the needs of regional employers within specific sectors