HRSA Sample Survey: Registered Nurses Among Fasted Growing U.S. Health Care Professions

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has released initial findings of the 2008 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses . The Sample Survey, a leading source of statistics on the nursing profession, is published every four years by HRSA’s Bureau of Health Professions. For the Center, these new data confirm that the U.S. is making progress relevant to our mission to ensure all Americans have a highly-skilled nurse when and where they need one. The nursing profession is growing and more and more nurses are obtaining higher degrees. And the high participation rate (i.e., the number of RNs that are actively practicing nursing) is growing also, which is good news for consumers.

This 2008 statistical report confirms the long-standing notion that registered nurses (RNs) are among the fasted growing U.S. health care professions. Between 2004 and 2008, this segment of the workforce grew to a high of 3.1 million. This more than 5 percent increase reflects another growing trend—increasing diversity among nurses.

Read the report here.