We, The People, Will Always Need Nurses…and Doctors

Today, National Nurses Week 2026 begins. While I don’t always keep track of annual celebratory milestones, this one isn’t ignored.

From the time my mom became a student nurse in 1956, until her death in 2024, she was a nurse. Even as a memory care patient, she’d make rounds as if she were walking the floor in the 1970s. It was only after macular degeneration impeded her ability to chart – at age 72 – did Mom stop taking care of people.

Nursing had put meaning in Mom’s life, same as the hundreds of nurses I’ve known, and thousands met over the years. Across the landscape of professions, I know none that are more worthy of recognition and appreciation.

I know you know why. If you live long enough, a nurse will do something that will put more years in your life, life in your years, or both.

Or, like what happened to me in my early twenties, a nurse will save your life. That’s right. A story too long for this blog doesn’t make it any less true. Saved.

So…Nurses, take a bow. Thank you for what you’ve done, what you do, and what you’ll do in the days and years ahead. Without you, our lives would be shorter and less fulfilling. Americans know this, even when they don’t say so.

Raise a glass. Go party.

Candidly, this day and week should be a bigger party. Much.

Though numbers for the 2025-26 academic year remain unavailable, in 2024, over 80,000 candidates were reportedly turned away from U.S. nursing schools. Why? These are the reasons most frequently shared.

·      Lack of classroom and lab capacity

·      Lack of instructors

·      Lack of clinical placement opportunities for students

I’d suggest that a lack of imagination among stakeholders might be the top reason for this multi-year lack of access for interested and qualified applicants.

That might be too polite. I’ll be more direct with my opinion. Turf, myopia, apathy, and indifference are responsible for people who want to be nurses and not being able to become nurses. As a result, nurses currently in the workforce are stretched to, or beyond, their capacities. Eventually, some find other careers. Providers wrestle with empty shifts. Sick patients wait. Some get sicker. Much.

Harsh? Don’t think so. Let’s examine this corollary, which has affected higher education for decades…

What do college football programs do when they run out of capacity? You know. They raise ticket prices, ask alums for donations, and build a bigger stadium. Much. And when the expansion is complete, they don’t reduce ticket prices either.

During a time of massive industrial demand,  an oversupply of qualified candidates, and a growing population of underserved people, it bears wonder what exactly will inspire university boards of trustees, presidents and provosts, professional nursing association and accrediting body leaders, and elected officials to satisfy this structural goat rodeo.

When it happens, every May 6 will mean a bigger party.

And…let’s not forget the Doctors!

Same as for most people past the big 6-oh, last week was filled with medical appointments. It’s no secret that health scares have been part of our recent (and not so) past. Patrice is a two-time cancer survivor and constantly aware of everything influencing healthspan, and I’m continuing to bounce back from the breakage sustained in late January, covered earlier in the blog post, “One Big, But Not So Beautiful, Designation” or OBBSBD.

It ended up being a good week. No drama, or new orders. “Eat smartly, drink only a little, keep moving, lift heavy things, be nice to each other and your friends, and go to bed like a grown-up. Call with questions and check your results when they are posted. See you in a year, OK?”

Since moving to Georgia, we’ve loved our practitioners. Close to Atlanta and even closer to University of Georgia – which are launching nursing and medical schools – we have access to talented professionals, for which we are grateful. Whenever possible, we look for practices with young…ish practitioners, because it takes time for doctors and dentists to learn about our histories, needs, and communication styles and equal time for us to understand their approaches to preventive care, medication, and expectations of patients.

And once we find two, three (or five) of these talented people, we don’t want to have to  change anytime soon. I’ll bet many readers share these same sentiments.

If you like your doctor, however, it is rapidly becoming a coin flip for how long you’ll be able to keep them. Why? Because the Association of American Medical Colleges has forecasted a nationwide physician shortage of between 13,500 and 86,000 by 2036, a significant percentage of which will involve Primary Care practitioners.

Why the shortage? A growing population of older people, people with additional care needs resulting from COVID, graduate medical education not keeping pace with demand, and physicians deciding to retire or roll back their working hours. On this latter point, can you blame them?

Further complicating the landscape is the recent decision – highlighted in OBBSBD – to cap student loan programs for professional degrees at $50,000 annually. With a lifetime loan limit of $200,000, average annual tuition costs nearly $60,000, and additional costs for rent, food, transportation and whatever…a four-year stretch of medical school will be fraught with financial roughriding, and more than some candidates will sign up for.

I believe that “Body Heal Thyself” is real and a solution to many afflictions. Conversely, the trajectories of nursing and medicine professions make me wonder if our caregivers will eventually be Wonder Woman and The Invisible Man!

Not for nothing, but artificial intelligence will not replace the big hearts and healing hands that important people bring daily to the human equation.

Thanks for reading. Please share thoughts and comments through social media or the “Contact” feature at www.davedevereaux.com.

Have a wonderful National Nurses Week!