15 Events That Changed Nursing in 2022

Some events shift how nurses practice or how the public sees the profession. The year 2022 produced several. You need to track the political, legal, and societal landscape, because it directly affects your license and your career. Here are 15 that mattered.

15,000 Minnesota Nurses Strike

On September 12, 2022, 15,000 nurses across 16 hospitals walked out for three days under the Minnesota Nurses Association, protesting the staffing crisis and working conditions after months of failed negotiations. It was the largest private-sector nurses' strike in U.S. history.

COVID-19

The pandemic that began in early 2020 was still playing out in 2022, against a worsening nursing shortage. Early on, the media praised frontline workers, and public support was real, but some nurses also faced escalating racism and violence at work. The pandemic permanently changed how care is delivered, including a lasting shift toward telemedicine.

The Nursing Shortage

The pandemic exposed how thin the workforce had become. Nurses quit in record numbers after 2020, and 34% said they planned to leave the profession. In March 2022 the American Hospital Association called the shortage a "national emergency," with the most severe gaps expected in California, Texas, New Jersey, South Carolina, and Alaska. States responded by hiring more general staff, bringing in travel nurses, and investing in nursing education.

Monkeypox

Nurses had to counter myths about monkeypox (mpox), a viral disease historically endemic to a handful of African countries that spreads through close or intimate contact. Most people recover fully within two to four weeks. Accurate patient education matters here, especially since the pandemic reshaped how many patients perceive infectious disease.

Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade

On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Abortion clinics closed in states where the procedure became illegal, and the ruling placed legal limits on how providers could counsel patients. Any pregnancy termination could put a provider's license at risk, and some worry the legal fight could eventually reach contraception or fertility treatment.

ANA's Racial Reckoning Statement

The American Nurses Association issued a formal apology for the history of racism within the organization and the profession. The ANA acknowledged that its past actions fostered inequities and framed the statement as a first step toward reconciliation. Racism has long limited nurses' ability to advance, to treat patients effectively, and to protect their own health.

North Carolina Supreme Court Ruling

In August 2022, the North Carolina Supreme Court overturned long-standing precedent that had shielded nurses from liability when following physician orders. Nurses can now be sued for medical errors even when a physician ordered the treatment. Some see it as a step toward recognizing nurses' authority, but it lands while burnout and staffing pressures are already driving nurses out. The takeaway: know and follow current policy, document thoroughly, carry personal liability insurance, and speak up when you have concerns.

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

The 988 line went live nationally in July 2022, as pandemic-era depression and anxiety climbed. It connects callers to mental health counselors available 24/7 for emotional distress or suicidal crisis. The main concern raised has been whether the line will involve police, sometimes called nonconsensual active rescue. Many see it as a better option than 911 for a mental health crisis, though the system still needs work.

Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act

Signed into law in March 2022, the act followed data showing nurses and physicians face a higher suicide risk than the general population. Dr. Lorna Breen was an emergency room physician who died by suicide in April 2020. The law works to normalize and prioritize mental health care for healthcare workers, including training on managing risk, improving mental health, and building resilience.

Full-Practice Authority Expands

In April 2022, New York and Kansas granted nurse practitioners full-practice authority, joining more than 20 other states. NPs in 27 states could now practice without physician supervision. An NP's scope is similar, often identical, to a primary care provider's, and the data show the care delivered is at least equal in quality. Full-practice authority widens access to care and helps reduce disparities.

NPs Become the Fastest-Growing Occupation

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projected nurse practitioner to be the single fastest-growing occupation in the country, with employment for NPs growing about 46% from 2021 to 2031 as the baby boomer generation ages and chronic disease becomes more common. The physician shortage and the shift to team-based care add to the demand.

Professional Associations Under Fire

Nurses accused several professional organizations of abandoning them before and during the pandemic. Short staffing and unsafe nurse-to-patient ratios were problems well before 2020, and many nurses entered the pandemic already exhausted. To many bedside nurses, the ANA seemed to add barriers rather than remove them. As with most things that year, the criticism was not universal.

Short Staffing and the Christann Gainey Verdict

On March 28, 2022, Christann Gainey pleaded guilty in the death of 84-year-old Herbert R. McMaster Sr., who died from a subdural hematoma after an unwitnessed fall at a care facility. Gainey had falsely documented eight neurological checks. At the time, she was caring for 37 patients at once. The facility's unsafe ratios and failure to provide adequate supervision set the stage for the tragedy.

RaDonda Vaught Found Guilty of Criminally Negligent Homicide

On May 13, 2022, RaDonda Vaught was sentenced to three years of supervised probation after injecting the wrong medication, bypassing several safeguards and system warnings. The case was unusual because most medical errors are handled through professional discipline and civil courts, not criminal ones. The ANA called criminalizing medical errors "unnerving" and warned it sets a "dangerous precedent." The defense argued the safeguards were so faulty that nurses routinely used a manual override to reach the correct drugs. It is one more reason to actively protect your license.

Student Debt Forgiveness

Federal student loan payments were paused in March 2020. In mid-2022, the administration announced a debt forgiveness plan affecting many nurses and healthcare workers, along with a proposal to cap income-driven repayment at no more than 5% of monthly income toward undergraduate loans. The intent was to let borrowers keep more of their salary, though much of the plan later faced legal challenges.