Nursing the Nation

Saturday (on a Sunday) Soapbox: The RISE Rule: How the Dept of Education Just Made It Harder to Become a Nurse

The Department of Education just finalized the RISE Rule — and graduate nursing still isn't a "professional degree." What does that mean? It means nursing students starting after July 1, 2026 can borrow less than half of what med students, law students, and even chiropractic students can access in federal loans. The Department says it's just a classification issue. Jamie says it's misogyny in a bureaucratic hat. Jamie breaks down what the RISE Rule actually does, why the CIP code defense doesn't hold up, why "just get a private loan" is not the answer anyone thinks it is, and what this means for a nursing workforce that's already short 264,000 nurses — with 40% of current nurses planning to leave within five years. Plus: what you can do about it, and why your legislators need to hear from you yesterday. Stay tuned after the Soapbox for our conversation with Dr. Victoria Soltis-Jarrett of UNC on what "professional" status really means for the nurses doing this work every day. See more on our Substack [https://substack.com/@nursingthenation].

BONUS Episode: Referred Pain, or When the 'Not-War' Hits Home

The U.S. and Israel have launched massive strikes against Iran. Cable news is debating carrier groups and regime change. We're checking the vitals of the people right here at home. War doesn't just happen "over there." In this bonus episode, Jamie and Melissa Anne apply the nursing lens to the Third Gulf War's homefront realities — from a spike in oil prices and the financial toxicity hitting American households, to the cortisol-soaked "Headline Stress Disorder" disrupting sleep, relationships, and mental health across the country. We also offer a four-step Nursing Care Plan for surviving a nation on a war footing — because you can't put a bandage on collective anxiety, but you can titrate media intake, add fact based journalism, and [Jamie's go to] contact your Congressional representatives.

BONUS Episode: Nursing is a Profession with Dr. Victoria Soltis-Jarrett

Today's bonus episode features a discussion based on the Department of Education's final proposed rule that will EXCLUDE graduate level nursing education from the professional federal student loan limits. Jamie and Melissa Anne discuss how this impacts nurses, patients, and the healthcare system at large with Dr. Victoria Soltis-Jarrett, while providing context to what exactly graduate level nursing is. Get more info, show notes, and follow us on Substack: https://nursingthenation.substack.com/

BONUS Episode: The Cost of Compassion & Remembering Alex Petti, RN

Jamie and Melissa Anne address the escalating violence and the tragic loss of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a VA ICU nurse who was killed by ICE agents on Saturday, January 24, 2026, in Minnesota. Speaking not just as nurses, but as witnesses to the "best and worst of humanity," they deliver an urgent message to those who have previously remained silent or supported the current administration’s immigration policies. Get more info, show notes, and follow us on Substack: https://nursingthenation.substack.com/

BONUS Episode: Bobby's Dangerous Experiment

In this episode, Jamie and Melissa Anne unpack reports of a CDC-funded study in Guinea-Bissau that would randomize newborns to receive the Hepatitis B vaccine at birth versus a delayed dose, which is framed by RFK Jr. as “gold standard science.” They break down what decades of evidence say about Hep B transmission and why the birth dose matters, then dig into the ethical red flags of testing delayed protection in a hyper-endemic setting, including concerns about vulnerable populations, justice, and preventable harm. We also connect the this "gold standard science" experiment to research ethics frameworks and discuss potential investigator bias and “cronyism” concerns. We also ask why this story hasn’t gotten more mainstream attention? For more head to Nursingthenation.substack.com.