Utah ranks 49th among states in nurses per 1,000 residents, University of Utah College of Nursing Dean Marla De Jong told the Deseret News in March 2026. She said the state has significant pockets of need, particularly in rural communities, despite not experiencing a major statewide shortage.

Separately, federal projections anticipate an 11% registered-nurse shortage in nonmetropolitan areas nationwide in 2038, compared with 2% in metropolitan areas. An aging population will also increase the need for nurses. Utah's share of residents age 65 and older is projected to exceed 20% by 2060, up from 12% in 2020.

Laura Dotson has spent much of her career trying to close that gap.

Her nursing career began in 1993 at the College of Eastern Utah, where she earned her practical nursing training and then her associate degree in nursing in 1995, according to USU. After years in patient care, she earned a master's degree in nursing education from Chamberlain College of Nursing.

She joined Utah State University in 2012 as a nursing program coordinator at USU Eastern in Price.

"After 18 years of nursing and direct patient care, I felt called to give back to the profession. I chose to return to the nursing program where I earned my own nursing degree ... to help educate and support the next generation of nurses," Dotson said in a Q&A published by the school.

In 2019, USU named Dotson director of Practical and Associate Degree Nursing Programs. At that time, the role covered practical nursing programs in Price, Moab and Blanding, and associate degree programs in Price, Moab, Blanding, Uintah Basin, Tooele and Cedar City.

“Seeing the students succeed and seeing the program succeed is the best part,” Dotson told the USU Eastern Eagle for a profile story. “(Nurses are) the quiet heroes, they work behind the scenes all the time. We want to help people, we want to do our best and we’re going to work those double shifts just to take care of our patients.”

A Chamberlain University Alumni LinkedIn post described Dotson as leading nursing programs across six USU sites. Chamberlain opened its first Utah campus in Sandy, celebrating a ribbon cutting Oct. 22 and welcoming its first BSN cohort Oct. 26.

"Even though things are not as dire as they were a few years ago, it's imperative that we continue to educate nurses," De Jong told the Deseret News.