The Missing Math in Scaling the Nursing Workforce: What Mapping Nursing Program Structures Reveals About Faculty, Preceptor, and Clinical Site Demand in North Carolina

North Carolina faces an annual nursing deficit despite significant education investments. A capacity mapping study across three community colleges reveals that clinical training generates 3 to 8 times more faculty and preceptor demand than classroom instruction, varying substantially by institution and week. Planning expansion without this operational precision risks new bottlenecks.