Becker’s Healthcare Podcast Building a Sustainable Nursing Pipeline Through Education and Innovation
Dec 5, 2025
Stephen Tatum, Vice President of Strategic Healthcare Solutions at Orbis Education, dives into the pressing issue of nursing shortages. He highlights the role of academic-healthcare partnerships in creating accelerated programs and innovative learning models. Tatum discusses the financial impact of RN turnover on hospitals and explains strategies to expand access for nontraditional students. He also covers the importance of technology, including AR/XR and simulations, to prepare future nurses for evolving clinical environments.
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Nursing Shortages Are A Long-Term Systemic Problem
- Stephen Tatum observed that nursing shortages have worsened over decades and represent a systemic workforce problem.
- He shifted from macroeconomics to workforce solutions to address that growing healthcare gap.
Form Strategic Academic-Healthcare Partnerships
- Partner with academic programs to create scalable pipelines of workforce-ready nurses and recruit them early.
- Use partnerships to reduce vacancies, recruiting costs, and reliance on agency staffing.
Clinical Education Has Structural Capacity Limits
- Clinical nursing education faces capacity limits from ratios and faculty shortages that block expansion.
- Accelerated hybrid BSN programs can expand access without lowering academic rigor.