In Brief - number of registered nurses continues to decline - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

Healthcare Financial Management, April, 2001

...Preliminary findings from the Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) "2000 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses" show that the number of registered nurses (RNs) in the United States is poised to plummet as the baby-boom generation of nurses retires, while the rate of new nurses entering the workforce to replace the retirees is slowing.

HRSA reports that the percentage of RNs under the age of 40 has dropped from 52.9 percent in 1980 to 31.7 percent in 2000. By comparison, although the U.S. population increased 13.7 percent between 1990 and 2000, the rate of nurses entering the workforce increased only 4.1 percent between 1996 and 2000, down from 14.2 percent growth between 1992 and 1996. To read the report, go to ftp://158.72.84.9/ftp/bhpr/nursing/sampsurvpre.pdf.