CTeL Celebrates “Friend of Nursing Award”—Championing Policy Reforms to Secure the Future of Nursing
The Center for Telehealth and eHealth Law (CTeL) is proud to highlight a milestone moment: the acceptance of the Friend of Nursing Award by CTeL Executive Director Christa Natoli. Received at the 2025 Flame Forward Conference hosted by the Nightingale Education Group in Salt Lake City, this honor recognizes CTeL’s leadership, innovation, and dedicated advocacy for strengthening nursing and healthcare at a national scale.
Why This Award Matters
CTeL Executive DIrector, Christa Natoli, accepting the Friend of Nursing Award at the Flame Forward, Nightingale Education Group Gala in 2025.
The “Friend of Nursing Award” spotlights individuals whose efforts have made a measurable difference in elevating nursing standards, driving patient care improvements, improving health equity, and shaping legislation and policy in ways that empower nurses across settings. Christa Natoli’s recognition underscores CTeL’s commitment to addressing one of healthcare’s most urgent crises: the critical nursing workforce shortage.
Nursing Workforce Shortage: The Stakes Have Never Been Higher
The United States is facing a profound nursing shortage with wide-ranging implications:
Rapid Decline of Nurses: Between 2020 and 2021, the registered nurse (RN) workforce shrank by more than 100,000—the largest decline in four decades—with many of those leaving under the age of 35, particularly from hospital roles (Auerbach et al., 2022 as cited in American Association of Colleges of Nursing, n.d.; also reported by U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 2024) AACNU.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Applicant Turned Away: In 2023 alone, U.S. nursing schools turned away 65,766 qualified applicants due to insufficient faculty, clinical sites, and budgetary funding (AACN, n.d.) AACN.
Attrition and Burnout: More than 138,000 nurses have exited the workforce since 2022, and projections indicate that by 2029, nearly 40% of current nurses intend to leave the profession (NCSBN, 2025) NCSBN.
Supply-Demand Mismatch: By 2027, an estimated 10% shortage of RNs is expected—equivalent to over 300,000 full-time nurse positions—with persistent gaps projected into 2037 (National Center for Health Workforce Analysis, 2024) Bureau of Health Workforce.
Educational Bottlenecks: Though more than two thirds of RNs hold baccalaureate or graduate degrees, the supply of nurse faculty is insufficient to scale nursing education to meet demand (HRSA and National Council surveys; AACN, n.d.) AACN.
Annual Job Openings: The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts an average of 194,500 job openings per year for RNs through 2030, but the inflow of new nurses lags behind (ANA, citing BLS; Nevada State, 2025) ANANevada State University.
The result? Nursing shortages elevate burnout, increase medical errors, compromise patient safety, and strain hospitals and clinics across rural and urban settings.
CTeL’s Vision: Policy Innovation to Address the Crisis
At the Flame Forward Conference gala on August 27, 2025, Christa Natoli articulated how CTeL is tackling this crisis head-on:
"Today, our nation faces a clinical workforce crisis—most acutely among nurses... At CTeL, we’ve made it our mission to bring this reality to the forefront of every agenda: at HHS, in Congress, and at the White House.”
CTeL’s strategy centers on three critical policy pillars:
Recognition of the Nursing Shortage as a Public Health Emergency
Elevating the shortage to this status could unlock emergency tools and resources, cutting through policy barriers, and enabling rapid action.
Streamlining Clinical Training Pathways & Expanding Telehealth
Removing regulatory red tape around licensure, interstate practice, and education would allow qualified nurses to get to the bedside—or to patients’ homes via telehealth—more swiftly.
Retention, Wellness & Career Mobility
Prioritizing workplace well-being, support, and leadership opportunities can help retain experienced nurses and harness their leadership in clinical settings.
As Natoli poignantly stated:
“Nurses are the backbone of care, from rural clinics to urban trauma centers. If we want equitable, high-quality healthcare, we must act with the urgency this moment demands.”
This philosophy shapes CTeL’s broader work—breaking down policy ceilings and collaboration barriers to expand the impact of nursing and care delivery through telehealth and eHealth innovations, beyond just nursing workforce solutions. CTeL is deeply honored to continue working with Nightingale Education Group and other organizations to advocate for policies that promote quality healthcare for all.
How You Can Engage
If your organization is working to expand access to care, strengthen clinical workforce pipelines, or leverage telehealth innovations—whether in nursing, allied health, or broader healthcare delivery—CTeL is ready to support you.
Visit www.ctel.org to explore how CTeL can help your institution navigate policy, regulatory, and digital-health challenges beyond nursing-centric issues.
References
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (n.d.). Nursing shortage fact sheet. https://www.aacnnursing.org/news-data/fact-sheets/nursing-shortage AACN
Nevada State University. (2025, July 14). Nursing workforce shortages and high demand for BSN nurses. https://www.nevadastate.edu/son/rn-bsn/nursing-workforce-shortages-and-high-demand-for-bsn-nurses Nevada State University
National Center for Health Workforce Analysis. (2024, November). Nurse workforce projections, 2022–2037. https://bhw.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/.../nursing-projections-factsheet.pdf Bureau of Health Workforce
NCSBN. (2025). National Nursing Workforce Study. https://www.ncsbn.org/workforce NCSBN+1
U.S. Chamber of Commerce. (2024, January 29). Data deep dive: A national nursing crisis. https://www.uschamber.com/workforce/nursing-workforce-data-center-a-national-nursing-crisis U.S. Chamber of Commerce
American Nurses Association (ANA). (n.d.). The state of the nursing workforce. https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/workforce/