Li Nannan talks with senior people at the Nantong Fuai Nursing Home. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Li Nannan, a deputy to the National People's Congress and head nurse at Nantong Fuai Nursing Home in Jiangsu province, remains committed to advancing high-quality growth in the health and nursing care sectors during this year's national two sessions.

The two sessions refer to the annual meetings of China's top legislative and political advisory bodies, which open on March 5 and 4, respectively, this year. In recent years, Li has focused her proposals primarily on the elder care industry.

Having visited her alma mater, Nantong Health Vocational College, multiple times, she observed that large hospitals have long been the top choice for vocational school graduates seeking employment. However, the competitive edge for nursing college graduates has diminished in recent years.

As healthcare institutions and grassroots medical facilities have upgraded, the educational requirements for practitioners at the grassroots level have increased to a bachelor's degree, with new personnel at community health service centers in some cities in the province holding postgraduate degrees.

A 2025 survey report on the occupational status of nursing staff predicts that China's nursing staff shortage will exceed 5 million over the next five years. Currently, only 44 universities nationwide offer a major in elderly service management, producing about 5,000 graduates annually. Li pointed out that this is merely a drop in the bucket compared to the tens of millions of care needs across the country.

The elderly care industry is experiencing a critical shortage of highly qualified professionals while employment opportunities for vocational nursing graduates remain limited.

After extensive visits and research, she believes that steering nursing graduates toward elderly and child care services is the most effective solution.

She proposed establishing a differentiated advancement pathway, optimizing the management of professional settings, enhancing policy and resource support, and promoting the transformation of national health vocational colleges into health and wellness universities.