Since 2002, there has been an increase in the number of young people becoming registered nurses. This trend, according to a recent study, may ease some of the trepidation about an upcoming nursing shortage in the United States. The findings are published in the December edition of the journal Health Affairs.
The number of people (predominantly women) aged 23 to 26 who became registered nurses increased by 62% from 2002 to 2009. These are numbers not seen since the mid-1980s. Because registered nurses today tend to begin training at an older age than a generation ago, these young associates are likely to become the largest group of nurses ever observed, according to researchers from the RAND Corporation, Vanderbilt University and Dartmouth College.
"The spike we've seen in young women becoming registered nurses is dramatic," said David Auerbach, the study's lead author and an economist at RAND, a nonprofit research organization. "If the trend continues, it will help to ease some of the concerns about future nursing shortages."
Previously, researchers predicted the U.S. could experience a shortage of 400,000 registered nurses by the year 2020. This was attributed to the fact that fewer young people were entering the nursing profession. In fact, between 1983 and 1998 the portion of the registered nurse workforce under age 30 decreased from 30% to 12%, yet the average age of employed nurses increased from age 37 to 42.
To evaluate the latest trends in the nursing workforce, researchers examined information related to the employment of registered nurses from 1973 to 2009. This information was obtained from the Current Population Survey and the American Community Survey, 2 large U.S. government-sponsored surveys. Additional information from the U.S. Census Bureau was also used.
The study found that, since 2002, the number of young registered nurses aged 23 to 26 has increased from 102,000 in 2002, to 165,000 by 2009.
Furthermore, if the number of individuals entering the nursing profession continues to grow at today's rate, researchers believe that by 2030 the nation's projected nursing needs will be fully met. However, if the rate slows, the workforce will scarcely keep pace with population growth, which would possibly result in nursing shortages.
"These findings were a real surprise and are a very positive development for the future health care workforce in the United States," Auerbach said. "Compared to where nursing supply was just a few years ago, the change is just incredible."
Source: RAND Corporation.
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