New PeopleGrove Research Finds 97% of Nursing Programs Lack a Fully Integrated Clinical Education Solution

Third annual Trends in Nursing Education report reveals a widespread infrastructure gap as programs work to manage placements, competency, compliance, and accreditation demands.

WARWICK, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PeopleGrove, the leader in engagement and experiential learning management for higher education, today announced the release of Trends in Nursing Education: 2026 Findings, the third edition of a longitudinal study conducted in collaboration with the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

The report points to a critical challenge for nursing education: most programs are being asked to prepare more practice-ready graduates while managing clinical placements, competency tracking, compliance, and accreditation evidence across disconnected systems. The research found that 97% of nursing programs do not yet have a fully integrated clinical education solution, creating operational strain at a time when clinical education capacity and workforce readiness are under growing pressure.

The 18-page research paper draws on responses from nursing program leaders and administrators at BSN, ABSN, MSN, and DNP programs across the country. To ensure a broad, field-wide perspective, the survey was distributed nationwide to programs of all sizes to reflect an unbiased view of the challenges nursing programs face today.

Key Findings

The findings suggest that clinical education is at an inflection point. Programs are not simply looking for another tool; they are looking for a more connected way to manage the work, prove outcomes, and prepare students for practice.

• 97% of nursing programs report they do not yet have a fully integrated clinical education solution.
• 57% are actively working to consolidate vendors to reduce fragmentation across placements, compliance, and competency systems.
• 89% are now actively tracking and assessing student competency, up from 70% in 2022.

The implications are significant. Fragmented infrastructure can make accreditation evidence harder to compile, increase the administrative burden on faculty and staff, limit visibility into student progress, and create compliance risk when sensitive student and clinical partner data is stored across multiple systems.

CORE for Nursing by PeopleGrove is designed to help programs address that fragmentation by bringing clinical placement management, competency tracking, compliance, and accreditation reporting into one system. Built on 20 years of experiential and clinical education expertise, CORE gives nursing programs one place to manage clinical education, track and demonstrate clinical student readiness, reducing manual workarounds so teams can spend more time supporting students in clinicals.

"This research reflects the same pressures our team has faced and validates why investing in a connected system like CORE has made such a difference for our program," said Sarah Dawson, Director of Clinical Placement at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

"The data is a clear signal call for nursing education leaders," said Alexis Carbone, Senior Vice President at PeopleGrove. "Programs are making real progress in competency tracking and clinical partner coordination, but many are still doing that work without the connected infrastructure required to scale it. When clinical education systems are fragmented, the burden falls on faculty, administrators, students, and clinical partners. This report helps programs see where they stand and where the field is moving next."

Download the 2026 Trends in Nursing Education research paper to see how nursing programs are responding to rising complexity, where fragmentation is creating risk, and what steps programs are taking to build more connected clinical education infrastructure.

Download the full report: Trends in Nursing Education: 2026 Findings

About PeopleGrove

PeopleGrove empowers colleges and universities to deliver meaningful engagement and hands-on experiential learning that drives measurable outcomes for students, alumni, academic programs, and institutions. From student and alumni engagement to clinical placements and competency management, PeopleGrove helps institutions improve student and alumni outcomes. Leveraged by more than 500 institutions and 750+ academic programs, including 98% of key clinical programs in the United States, PeopleGrove is the leader in engagement and experiential learning management.

Learn how PeopleGrove is shaping the future with a comprehensive ecosystem across the entire learner lifecycle -- from student and alumni engagement to clinical education, mentorship, and career readiness. Visit us at www.peoplegrove.com and follow us on LinkedIn.