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Board weighs sharing NCSBN pre‑licensure data with workforce center; invites NCSBN representative to brief members
Summary
The board debated a request from a university‑affiliated workforce center to access NCSBN pre‑licensure survey data for a statewide 'State of Nursing' report, raising concerns about school‑level identifiability, interpretation risks, and KU branding; members asked staff to invite an NCSBN subject‑matter representative to the June meeting and to survey other states and local programs before deciding.
Representatives of a state nursing workforce center asked the Kansas State Board of Nursing for access to National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) pre‑licensure survey data to support a statewide workforce report covering 2015–2025.
The workforce representative said the center plans to use the NCSBN dataset — which includes program‑level and sample survey responses — to create more granular regional analyses and to support policy decisions about education capacity, faculty, and workforce pathways. “We are working on volume 2, which will be released in September, and it will have data from 2015 through 2025, which will allow us to do trends related to the workforce,” the representative said.
Board members voiced a mix of support and caution. Concerns included the risk that school‑level data or ZIP‑code mapping could be misinterpreted by legislators or third parties, the potential reputational effects of identifying programs in public reports, and the perception that a University of Kansas‑affiliated center producing the analysis might create a branding concern for other schools.
Several members asked for due diligence before releasing raw data: survey of other states that have published similar reports to learn about unintended consequences, confirmation of how NCSBN handles work vs. home ZIP codes (the sample survey includes both), and consultation about de‑identification and governance. One board member suggested a short survey of Kansas nursing program administrators to know whether programs are comfortable with program‑level data being shared.
Next steps: The board directed staff to invite an NCSBN workforce expert (identified in discussion as Brandon Martin or a similar NCSBN contact) to present available data products and governance options at the June meeting so members can assess the risks and safeguards. Staff also agreed to draft sample questions for a survey of other states and to consider a targeted survey of Kansas program administrators.
Why it matters: A validated, well‑interpreted workforce dataset can support policy on program capacity, admissions, and targeted initiatives (for example, standardized application systems or regional workforce planning). Board members stressed, however, that data must be handled with transparency, clear metadata and interpretation guidance to avoid misapplication by non‑experts.
Board action: No final decision to release raw NCSBN data was made. The board requested further information and an NCSBN briefing before authorizing any expanded data-sharing agreement.
