SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds as follows: 
(1) Researchers in the field of public health 
have identified the need for a national study to iden-
tify constraints encountered by schools of nursing in 
graduating the number of nurses sufficient to meet 
the health care needs of the United States. 
(2) The shortage of qualified registered nurses 
has adversely affected the health care system of the 
United States. 
(3) Individual States have had varying degrees 
of success with programs designed to increase the 
recruitment and retention of nurses. 
(4) Schools of nursing have been unable to pro-
vide a sufficient number of qualified graduates to 
meet the workforce needs. 
(5) Many nurses are approaching the age of re-
tirement, and the problem worsens each year. 
(6) In 2004, an estimated 125,000 applications 
from qualified applicants were rejected by schools of 
nursing, due to a shortage of faculty and a lack of 
capacity for additional students. 
SEC. 3. STUDY WITH RESPECT TO CONSTRAINTS WITH RE-
SPECT TO SCHOOLS OF NURSING. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 
Human Services shall request the Institute of Medicine 
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of the National Academy of Sciences to enter into an 
agreement under which the Institute conducts a study for 
the purpose of— 
(1) identifying constraints encountered by 
schools of nursing in admitting and graduating the 
number of registered nurses necessary to ensure pa-
tient safety and meet the need for quality assurance 
in the provision of health care; and 
(2) developing recommendations to alleviate the 
constraints on a short-term and long-term basis. 
(b) CERTAIN COMPONENTS.—The Secretary shall en-
sure that the agreement under subsection (a) provides 
that the study under such subsection will include informa-
tion on the following: 
(1) The trends in applications for attendance at 
schools of nursing that are relevant to the purpose 
described in such subsection, including trends re-
garding applicants who are accepted for enrollment 
and applicants who are not accepted, particularly 
qualified applicants who are not accepted. 
(2) The number and demographic characteris-
tics of entry-level and graduate students currently 
enrolled in schools of nursing, the retention rates at 
the schools, and the number of recent graduates 
from the schools, as compared to previous years and 
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to the projected need for registered nurses based on 
two-year, five-year, and ten-year projections. 
(3) The number and demographic characteris-
tics of nurses who pursue graduate education in 
nursing and non-nursing programs but do not pur-
sue faculty positions in schools of nursing, the rea-
sons therefor, including any regulatory barriers to 
choosing to pursue such positions, and the effect of 
such decisions on the ability of the schools to obtain 
adequate numbers of faculty members. 
(4) The extent to which entry-level graduates of 
the schools are satisfied with their educational prep-
aration, including their participation in nurse 
externships, internships, and residency programs, 
and to which they are able to effectively transition 
into the nursing workforce. 
(5) The satisfaction of nurse managers and ad-
ministrators with respect to the preparation and per-
formance levels of entry-level graduates from the 
schools after one year, three years, and five years of 
practice, respectively. 
(6) The extent to which the current salary, ben-
efit structures, and characteristics of the workplace, 
including the number of nurses who are presently 
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serving in faculty positions, influence the career path 
of nurses who have pursued graduate education. 
(7) The extent to which the use of innovative 
technologies for didactic and clinical nursing edu-
cation might provide for an increase in the ability of 
schools of nursing to train qualified nurses. 
(c) RECOMMENDATIONS.—Recommendations under 
subsection (a)(2) may include recommendations for legis-
lative or administrative changes at the Federal or State 
level, and measures that can be taken in the private sec-
tor— 
(1) to facilitate the recruitment of students into 
the nursing profession; 
(2) to facilitate the retention of nurses in the 
workplace; and 
(3) to improve the resources and ability of the 
education and health care systems to prepare a suf-
ficient number of qualified registered nurses. 
(d) METHODOLOGY OF STUDY.— 
(1) SCOPE.—The Secretary shall ensure that 
the agreement under subsection (a) provides that the 
study under such subsection will consider the per-
spectives of nurses and physicians in each of the 
various types of inpatient, outpatient, and residential 
facilities in the health care delivery system; faculty 
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and administrators of schools of nursing; providers 
of health plans or health insurance; and consumers. 
(2) CONSULTATION WITH RELEVANT ORGANIZA-
TION.—The Secretary shall ensure that the agree-
ment under subsection (a) provides that relevant 
agencies and organizations with expertise on the 
nursing shortage will be consulted with respect to 
the study under such subsection, including but not 
limited to the following: 
(A) The Agency for Healthcare Research 
and Quality. 
(B) The American Academy of Nursing. 
(C) The American Association of Colleges 
of Nursing. 
(D) The American Nurses Association. 
(E) The American Organization of Nurse 
Executives. 
(F) The National Institute of Nursing Re-
search. 
(G) The National League for Nursing. 
(H) The National Organization for Asso-
ciate Degree Nursing. 
(I) The National Student Nurses Associa-
tion. 
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(e) REPORT.—The Secretary shall ensure that the 
agreement under subsection (a) provides that not later 
than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, a report providing the findings and recommendations 
made in the study under such subsection will be submitted 
to the Secretary, the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on 
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate. 
(f) OTHER ORGANIZATION.—If the Institute declines 
to conduct the study under subsection (a), the Secretary 
may enter into an agreement with another appropriate pri-
vate entity to conduct the study. 
(g) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out this section. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
For purposes of this Act: 
(1) The term ‘‘Institute’’ means the Institute of 
Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. 
(2)(A) The term ‘‘school of nursing’’ means a 
collegiate, associate degree, or diploma school of 
nursing in a State. 
(B) The terms ‘‘collegiate school of nursing’’, 
‘‘associate degree school of nursing’’, and ‘‘diploma 
school of nursing’’ have the meanings given to such 
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