LAS VEGAS — American Nurse Association President Jennifer Mensik Kennedy says industry pressures are coalescing to worsen nursing shortages.

Studies estimate the U.S. will need 1.2 million new registered nurses by 2030 to meet care demands. The ANA, American Hospital Association and health systems have doggedly called for solutions to the growing labor crisis for years, with some health systems opting to acquire their own nursing schools to ensure sufficient pipelines of talent.

Still, Kennedy says barriers remain to educating, recruiting and retaining quality nurses. Some problems are old hat — for example, it’s difficult to entice nurses to take a pay cut to become a nurse educator. However, new challenges are of the cultural and political moment, according to Kennedy, includi

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