As baby boomers age, the need for registered nurses will continue to intensify, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. The AACN projects 193,111 openings nationwide for RNs each year through 2023.

On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., highlighted the need to fill those nursing openings by visiting Southwest Minnesota State University here in Marshall. SMSU is planning to add a four-year nursing degree in the future. Plans include a nursing simulation lab.

Smith looked over design plans for the lab and talked with SMSU officials about their nursing program proposal.

Smith worked with her colleague in the U.S. Senate, Amy Klobuchar, to include $1.2 million of congressionally directed spending for the SMSU simulation lab in 2026 appropriation bills.

“I think it’s going to make a big difference, and I was really happy to help secure some of the funding to make this all come together,”Smith told school officials while looking over the plans.

That “big difference” Smith was talking about is a big win for SMSU. It’s also a big win for Marshall and other southwest Minnesota communities. This region is not immune to the rising need for more registered nurses. Not only that, but the nursing program also means more higher education opportunities for high school graduates in the region.

A four-year nursing program will also attract students from outside the region and the state. That would help bolster admissions for the university. More students in the region can only help the local economy. SMSU displayed lots of vision for future success by reacting to a rising health care need surging across the nation.

“(SMSU) was founded with this idea that it would shape the educational experience to meet the needs of its time. Our time right now needs partnership. It needs a vision to figure out what our workforce needs are in the future,” SMSU President David Jones said during the visit with Smith.

Jones is right.

The time is now to meet the moment, and SMSU is jumping on the opportunity of a lifetime for not only the school but for future nursing students.