Population aging and nursing regulation: Policy strategies to strengthen the geriatric nursing workforce

Population aging is increasing demand for nurses prepared to care for older adults. Regulatory frameworks governing nursing education, competence, and workforce standards influence how effectively the nursing workforce can respond to these demographic changes.

To explore nurses' perceptions of workforce and regulatory challenges affecting the preparation and practice of geriatric nursing.

A qualitative descriptive study, informed by a health-workforce governance perspective and reported in accordance with the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ), was conducted with 26 registered nurses and nurse leaders working in public teaching hospitals in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, with sample adequacy guided by the concept of information power rather than data saturation.

Three themes emerged: preparing for the complexity of geriatric care, navigating workforce constraints, and interpreting regulatory policies in clinical practice. Participants reported limited geriatric preparation during education, workforce pressures in caring for older adults, and tensions between regulatory expectations and clinical realities.

Within this single, resource-constrained academic setting, findings highlight opportunities for regulators and educators to strengthen geriatric competencies, continuing education, and workforce policies to ensure safe, high-quality care for aging populations; the transferability of these insights to other regulatory environments should be examined in future multi-site research.