Outdated California Law Forces 5,000 Nursing Students to Leave State for Clinical Rotations Amid Shortage
2 min read
Students enrolled in Nightingale College's distance-learning nursing program, like the woman shown above, are forced to complete clinical rotations outside of state if they reside in California.
As California faces one of the nation’s most severe nursing shortages, more than 5,000 distance-learning nursing students are being forced to leave the state each semester for required clinical training—a financial and logistical hurdle critics say worsens the crisis.
“Over the last 10 years, California schools have turned away 250,000 qualified applicants,” said Blake Halladay, director of regulatory and legislative strategy affairs at Nightingale College. “Limited enrollments are driven by regulation and keep qualified people from going to nursing school.”
Nightingale College, a Utah-based accredited program, enrolls more than 5,000 California residents in its distance program—accounting for roughly 25 percent of all nursing students in the state. Yet current California law blocks these students from completing required in-person clinicals in their own communities.
“California law has never allowed for out-of-state programs to participate in clinical experience in the state,” Halladay said. “The Nurse Practice Act was put into place in 1939, long before distance education existed—they just haven’t updated it.”
Assembly Bill 1082, introduced earlier this year, would lift that restriction and allow qualified programs like Nightingale to place students in local hospitals under the supervision of licensed California nurses. The bill received unanimous support in committee but was shelved in the Assembly Appropriations Committee due to this year’s budget shortfall.
For Priscilla Jarrett, a Hesperia paramedic and Nightingale student pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, the consequences are deeply personal. “I’m not looking forward to traveling,” she said. “I’m working full-time, caring for my 73-year-old mom, and paying a mortgage. My most affordable option is driving to Las Vegas—but I wish I could stay close to home.”
Jarrett, who will be required to leave the state for clinical rotations starting in January 2026 for her capstone rotation, said the out-of-state training limits her ability to network locally and secure a job post-graduation. “If I could do my rotations in Southern California, I’d have better connections and a better shot at staying here to serve my community.”
Students across the state have echoed her concerns in online forums, citing stress over the cost and time away from their families and jobs. Halladay added, “Many of our learners are non-traditional. Figuring out how to take time off work and leave their families for a week or a month at a time—it’s a burden they shouldn’t have to face.”
The Board of Registered Nursing opposes AB 1082, citing clinical site crowding and oversight concerns. However, supporters argue the current law is outdated and out of step with modern education models—especially given the scale of the nursing shortage in California.
“California is known for innovation,” Halladay said. “But this law hasn’t kept up with distance education. If we want to solve the shortage, we need to open more doors—not keep closing them.”
