Registered Nurse Health Article

Future outlook

Registered nursing is projected to among the 10 top occupations in the United States to have the largest number of new jobs. Many areas of the country are suffering from severe nursing shortages and the problem is expected to get worse as baby boomers age. It is estimated that if current trends continue, demand for nurses will out-weigh their supply by the year 2010. It is projected that by 2015, some 114,000 jobs for full-time equivalent RNs will go unfilled in the United States. In sum, nurses will be able to pick and choose the paths of their careers. It is expected that job growth in nursing will be faster than average, largely because of technical advances in patient care. These advances will diagnose disease earlier and improve upon current treatments. With the median age of nurses over 40, many nurses will be retiring. Many of the positions in the future will come from openings left by these aging nurses. Areas that are expected to experience significant growth in nursing are ambulatory care settings, nursing homes, and home health care.

While hospitals will continue to need a tremendous number of nurses, hospitals are expected to grow more slowly than other health care environments. This is because the number of inpatients is expected to remain somewhat steady; patients are being released earlier and more procedures are being done outside hospitals. Nurses will find more opportunity in the hospital's specialty areas, including outpatients services, such as chemotherapy and rehabilitation. Home health employment for nursing will probably grow rapidly. A growing number of elderly who need nursing care but do not want to leave their homes will stimulate the expansion of this area of nursing. Nurses who are able to perform complex procedures in the home will be at the forefront of those able to take advantage of the home health opportunity. Nurses who want to work in nursing homes will find much faster than average growth in opportunities due to the growing number of people who are too old to live on their own.

ORGANIZATIONS

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. 202-463-6980. <http://www.aacn.nche.edu>.

American Nurses Association. 600 Maryland Avenue, SW, Suite 100 West. Washington, DC 20024. 202-651-7000. <http://www.nursingworld.org>.

OTHER

Occupational Outlook Handbook. U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Division of Information Services. 2 Massachusetts Ave., NE., Room 2860. Washington, D.C. 20212. (202) 691-5200.<http://stats.bls.gov>.

Lisette Hilton