America can’t hire enough nurses. But that’s not the only problem.

With all the news about critical shortages of nursing staff, one essential issue often gets overlooked in the headlines: the concerning “skills gap.” Think of this as a different-in-kind shortage which has been emerging for some time—a shortage of experienced nurses. Covid-19 has exacerbated this challenge, and unless addressed, will threaten patient safety.

Our take: Building a flexible nursing workforce

Prior to the pandemic, there were two forces driving the shortage of nursing experience. The first is the large share of baby boomer nurses who are either reducing their hours or retiring altogether. The other is the explosive growth of new graduate RNs. Between 2001 and 2015, the number of students enrolled in...