This brief from the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) provides a regional perspective on the unique challenges and opportunities of nursing workforce needs within western rural communities by highlighting four key areas: rural nursing student supports, clinical placements, faculty development, and preceptor development.

In the summer of 2025, WICHE brought together stakeholders from three mountain west states — Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming — to discuss rural nursing and the challenges and potential solutions for students, institutions, and employers to provide education and care across rural communities in this region. Beyond nursing education, the meeting highlighted the complexity of rural healthcare challenges and the intersection of nursing education with broader rural healthcare accessibility. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the significant challenges facing the nursing profession, with rural communities enduring disproportionate impacts of nursing workforce shortages. These complex and interconnected challenges highlight the importance of understanding which supports are working for rural nursing students. They also underscore the need to help institutions and states make better-informed decisions to advance rural nursing students and, consequently, the rural nursing workforce.

This brief starts with the premise — expressed throughout the meeting — that nursing in rural areas is a critical component of rural healthcare. The multifaceted task of advancing nursing in rural areas necessitates support for nursing students from rural areas, as well as for all components of programs that serve those areas. Additionally, nursing programs in urban areas that serve rural students must recognize the importance of preparing students for practicing in rural settings, should they choose to return to their communities.

WICHE is a member of the National Rural Higher Education Research Center led by MDRC. The research reported here was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant R305C240065 to MDRC. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the views of the Institute or the U.S. Department of Education.