Travel staffing and nursing shortage
Industry Trends

Nursing Shortages in 2024: A State-by-State Breakdown

Global consulting firm McKinsey & Company predicted in 2022 that the United States would see a shortfall of 200,000 to 450,000 registered nurses (RNs) for direct patient care by 2025. Quoting federal data, the American Hospital Association also announced in 2022 that an estimated half a million nurses would leave the profession by the end of that year, bringing the total shortage to 1.1 million. Those aren’t typos or simply statistics. Those are real numbers indicating that the demand for bedside nurses will outpace supply, with impacts felt within health systems across the nation. 

Nurses are crucial members of the patient care team and the foundation of the healthcare field. However, nursing shortages have plagued the profession for decades. The severity of these shortages varies by study and by state, but no matter how you slice it, the issue represents a critical challenge to our nation’s healthcare infrastructure. Based on currently available data, some states may experience a distinct shortage while others may actually see a surplus. Vivian Health dove into various data points to attempt to unravel how dire the looming nursing deficit might be in each state.

What’s Causing Nursing Shortages?

The continuing nursing shortage is a multifaceted crisis with deeply rooted systemic challenges and current issues with equally significant impacts. At its core, the nation’s aging population demands more healthcare services while the nursing workforce ages in parallel, leading to a monumental retirement wave. 

Concurrently, a persistent bottleneck in nursing education hindered by faculty shortages limits the number of new nurses entering the profession. Plus, increased stress and burnout exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic led to a substantial exodus of experienced nurses from the profession. 

10 Factors Contributing to Nurse Deficits

Each of the following factors contributes to the complexity of the nurse staffing struggle:

  • Aging Population: The baby boomer generation, one of the largest generational cohorts, continues to age. By 2030, all baby boomers will be 65 or older, and as this substantial population segment ages, the demand for complex care and nurses to provide this care increases. 
  • Aging Workforce: Like those they serve, the nursing workforce is also aging, with an estimated one million RNs retiring from the workforce between 2017 and 2030. The impending retirement of a large chunk of nurses threatens to sharply reduce the experienced nursing workforce in less than a decade. 
  • Increased Burnout: Nurses are experiencing burnout at unprecedented levels due to high-stress environments, long hours and emotional demands of the job. The intense pressure has led to decreased job satisfaction, increased absenteeism and a significant number of nurses leaving or considering leaving the profession altogether. 
  • Nurses Leaving Bedside Jobs: An increasing number of nurses are leaving high-stress bedside positions for alternative roles in healthcare or different industries altogether. Commonly cited reasons for nurses leaving the bedside include burnout, unsafe staffing ratios, inadequate support staff, being underpaid and underappreciated, the inability to take breaks or adequate days off and inadequate mental health resources. In February 2023, the National Library of Medicine reported that the average nursing turnover rate nationwide was 8.8% to 37%, depending on the specialty and geographic location. 
  • Faculty Shortage: According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, nursing schools turned away nearly 92,000 qualified applicants for baccalaureate or graduate nursing programs in 2021. This number was the highest in decades and primarily due to capacity issues, including insufficient clinical sites, classroom space, faculty and clinical preceptors. Unfortunately, the salaries for faculty roles aren’t very competitive, making them less attractive to qualified instructors. 
  • Affordable Care Act (ACA) Impact: The ACA’s expansion of healthcare coverage increased the demand for healthcare services, putting additional pressure on the nursing workforce to meet the needs of a larger patient population. 
  • Growing Interest in Community-Based Care: The shift towards community-based care models demands more nurses outside traditional hospital settings, further stretching the available workforce. 
  • Economic Incentives in Other Fields: Competitive wages and less stressful working conditions in other sectors lure away trained nurses who might otherwise remain in nursing careers or attract potential nursing professionals away from the field, reducing the number of entrants into nursing programs.
  • Violence in the Healthcare Setting: The presence of emotional or physical abuse in healthcare settings further adds to an already stressful environment. Violence in nursing has become an ever-present threat, from psychological trauma to varying degrees of physical injury, including death. Healthcare workers are five times more likely to sustain an injury due to workplace violence than other professions.
  • Physician Shortage:  The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) foresees a shortage of between 37,800 and 124,000 physicians by 2034, including a projected shortfall of 17,000 to 48,000 doctors in general pediatrics, family medicine, geriatric medicine and similar primary care specialties. A shortage of physicians increases the need for nursing staff to shoulder the additional workloads and responsibilities and heightens the demand for advanced practice nurses impacted by strained educational resources.

RELATED: Can Virtual Nursing Address the Post-Pandemic Nursing Shortages?

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Nursing shortages - nurse rushing not enough staff

Projected RN Shortages by State Through 2030

Breaking down the national shortage by state, some states might have a shortage of nurses and lower growth potential, while others might have a surplus. Unfortunately, the most recent published reports providing a state-by-state breakdown use data from before the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted healthcare professionals. These reports also don’t account for the nurses who left the profession during or shortly after this severe nationwide crisis. 

For this update, we utilized projections from the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW), which looked at each state’s projected 2030 RN supply minus demand to reveal state-level shortages and surpluses. The following table ranks states from largest shortage to largest surplus.

Keep in mind that these projections are technically outdated. While the table below indicates that only 7 states can expect shortages based on this report, preliminary data in the upcoming version includes several more. Also, state-by-state projections for registered nursing shortages aren’t uniform between sources, so you may see your state with an overage on one report and a shortage on another.

State 2030 Supply 2030 Demand Difference % Deficit / Surplus
Alaska 18,400 23,800 -5,400 -22.7%
South Carolina 52,100 62,500 -10,400 -16.6%
South Dakota 11,700 13,600 -1,900 -14.0%
California 343,400 387,900 -44,500 -11.5%
New Jersey 90,800 102,200 -11,400 -11.2%
Texas 253,400 269,300 -15,900 -5.9%
Georgia 98,800 101,000 -2,200 -2.2%
Arizona 99,900 98,700 1,200 1.2%
Montana 12,300 12,100 200 1.7%
Massachusetts 91,300 89,300 2,000 2.2%
Illinois 143,000 139,400 3,600 2.6%
Minnesota 71,800 68,700 3,100 4.5%
Louisiana 52,000 49,700 2,300 4.6%
Pennsylvania 168,500 160,300 8,200 5.1%
New Hampshire 21,300 20,200 1,100 5.4%
Michigan 110,500 104,400 6,100 5.8%
Oregon 41,100 38,600 2,500 6.5%
Alabama 85,100 79,800 5,300 6.6%
North Dakota 9,900 9,200 700 7.6%
Washington 85,300 79,100 6,200 7.8%
Wisconsin 78,200 72,000 6,200 8.6%
Connecticut 43,500 40,000 3,500 8.8%
New York 213,400 195,200 18,200 9.3%
Delaware 14,000 12,800 1,200 9.4%
Tennessee 90,600 82,200 8,400 10.2%
Oklahoma 46,100 40,600 5,500 13.5%
North Carolina 135,100 118,600 16,500 13.9%
Utah 33,500 29,400 4,100 13.9%
Colorado 72,500 63,200 9,300 14.7%
Maryland 86,000 73,900 12,100 16.4%
Nebraska 24,700 21,200 3,500 16.5%
Indiana 89,300 75,300 14,000 18.6%
Kentucky 64,200 53,700 10,500 19.6%
Hawaii 19,800 16,500 3,300 20.0%
Rhode Island 15,000 12,500 2,500 20.0%
Vermont 9,300 6,800 2,500 20.0%
Mississippi 42,500 35,300 7,200 20.4%
West Virginia 25,200 20,800 4,400 21.2%
Florida 293,700 240,000 53,700 22.4%
Missouri 89,900 73,200 16,700 22.8%
Idaho 18,900 15,300 3,600 23.5%
Virginia 109,200 86,500 22,700 26.2%
Maine 21,200 16,500 4,700 28.5%
Iowa 45,400 35,300 10,100 28.6%
Arkansas 42,100 32,300 9,800 30.3%
Nevada 33,900 25,800 8,100 31.4%
Kansas 47,500 34,900 12,600 36.1%
Ohio 181,900 132,800 49,100 37.0%
New Mexico 31,300 21,600 9,700 44.9%
Wyoming 8,300 5,500 2,800 50.9%

Source: HRSA Supply and Demand Projections of the Nursing Workforce: 2014-2030

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Projected Demand for Registered Nurses

To understand how the COVID-19 pandemic might have impacted the shortage vs. surplus projections listed in HRSA’s report above, let’s look at how it impacted supply between 2020 and 2022. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing’s (NCSBN) research revealed that about 100,000 RNs left the workforce over a two-year period during the pandemic nationwide. To help determine the impact on a state level, we compared the number of employed RNs in 2020 and those employed in 2022 to see which states lost nurses over these two years instead of gaining nurses as they should have.

State Employed in 2020 Employed in 2022 Amount Change
Maryland 71,390 49,790 -21,600
Pennsylvania 147,280 137,970 -9,310
Oklahoma 39,130 30,320 -8,810
Minnesota 71,780 63,800 -7,980
Nebraska 27,670 19,870 -7,800
Illinois 136,640 129,390 -7,250
New York 197,160 190,470 -6,690
New Jersey 83,660 78,340 -5,320
Oregon 41,000 37,400 -3,600
Wisconsin 64,590 61,100 -3,490
Tennessee 64,280 60,840 -3,440
South Carolina 47,050 44,030 -3,020
Missouri 73,330 70,440 -2,890
New Mexico 18,740 15,910 -2,830
Arizona 58,480 56,040 -2,440
Utah 24,840 22,830 -2,010
Alabama 51,280 49,370 -1,910
Idaho 15,350 13,680 -1,670
Rhode Island 12,680 11,190 -1,490
Michigan 102,590 101,470 -1,120
Ohio 131,400 130,370 -1,030
Colorado 53,100 52,390 -710
Montana 10,680 10,020 -660
New Hampshire 14,010 13,510 -500
West Virginia 21,550 21,110 -440
Kansas 30,920 30,520 -400
Maine 14,950 14,610 -340
Connecticut 34,470 34,290 -180
Delaware 11,660 11,490 -170
Nevada 24,040 23,970 -70
Wyoming 5,080 5,070 -10
Vermont 6,920 6,930 10
Hawaii 11,770 11,800 30
Mississippi 29,270 29,370 100
Indiana 66,740 67,350 610
South Dakota 13,440 14,360 920
Iowa 33,110 34,050 940
Alaska 5,680 6,730 1,050
District of Columbia 10,580 11,820 1,240
North Dakota 10,060 11,300 1,240
Kentucky 43,320 44,970 1,650
California 323,900 325,620 1,720
Louisiana 41,940 43,790 1,850
North Carolina 102,150 104,300 2,150
Virginia 67,340 69,510 2,170
Arkansas 25,890 28,490 2,600
Washington 61,560 64,920 3,360
Massachusetts 87,860 94,100 6,240
Florida 189,120 197,630 8,510
Georgia 73,180 82,970 9,790
Texas 220,980 231,060 10,080

Source: CareerOneStop: Current Employment (2022) vs. 2020 Employment

The BLS estimates that nationwide employment of RNs was 3,172,500 in 2022, with projected employment of 3,349,900 by 2032, resulting in a 6% increase and 193,100 job openings annually. The new projections for RN employment from 2022 to 2032 will likely be higher than the 2020 – 2030 projections.

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tired, stressed nurse

Highest and Lowest RNs per Capita by State

To further determine where shortages might occur, we also looked at the number of RNs per capita by state to see which states had more employed RNs available for the current population in 2202. In this instance, per capita means the number of nurses for every 1,000 persons in the population.

Using the most recent (2022) data from the USDOL and U.S. Census Bureau, we calculated RN per capita for each state and ranked them from lowest to highest. Keep in mind the national average in 2022 was 9.22 RNs per resident. We consider any state with a number below the national average to have a shortage. 

State Employed RNs (2022) Population (2022) RNs per 1,000 Residents
United States 3,072,670 333,287,557 9.22
Utah 22,830 3,380,800 6.75
Idaho 13,680 1,939,033 7.06
New Mexico 15,910 2,113,344 7.53
Oklahoma 30,320 4,019,800 7.54
Nevada 23,970 3,177,772 7.54
Georgia 82,970 10,912,876 7.60
Arizona 56,040 7,359,197 7.61
Texas 231,060 30,029,572 7.69
Virginia 69,510 8,683,619 8.00
Maryland 49,790 6,164,660 8.08
Hawaii 11,800 1,440,196 8.19
South Carolina 44,030 5,282,634 8.33
Washington 64,920 7,785,786 8.34
California 325,620 39,029,342 8.34
New Jersey 78,340 9,261,699 8.46
Tennessee 60,840 7,051,339 8.63
Wyoming 5,070 581,381 8.72
Oregon 37,400 4,240,137 8.82
Florida 197,630 22,244,823 8.88
Montana 10,020 1,122,867 8.92
Colorado 52,390 5,839,926 8.97
Alaska 6,730 733,583 9.17
Arkansas 28,490 3,045,637 9.35
Connecticut 34,290 3,626,205 9.46
Louisiana 43,790 4,590,241 9.54
New York 190,470 19,677,151 9.68
New Hampshire 13,510 1,395,231 9.68
Alabama 49,370 5,074,296 9.73
North Carolina 104,300 10,698,973 9.75
Indiana 67,350 6,833,037 9.86
Kentucky 44,970 4,512,310 9.97
Mississippi 29,370 2,940,057 9.99
Nebraska 19,870 1,967,923 10.10
Michigan 101,470 10,034,113 10.11
Rhode Island 11,190 1,093,734 10.23
Illinois 129,390 12,582,032 10.28
Wisconsin 61,100 5,892,539 10.37
Kansas 30,520 2,937,150 10.39
Maine 14,610 1,385,340 10.55
Pennsylvania 137,970 12,972,008 10.64
Iowa 34,050 3,200,517 10.64
Vermont 6,930 647,064 10.71
Ohio 130,370 11,756,058 11.09
Minnesota 63,800 5,717,184 11.16
Delaware 11,490 1,018,396 11.28
Missouri 70,440 6,177,957 11.40
West Virginia 21,110 1,775,156 11.89
Massachusetts 94,100 6,981,974 13.48
North Dakota 11,300 779,261 14.50
South Dakota 14,360 909,824 15.78
District of Columbia 11,820 671,803 17.59

Sources: U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Census Bureau

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Some States May See Balancing of Supply and Demand

Despite the current unknowns as to potential shortages and surpluses of RNs nationwide, some states have indicated that they’re starting to see a balancing of supply and demand.

For example, California had a projected shortfall of 11.5% by 2030, per the HRSA report above. However, its 2022 Forecasts of the Registered Nurse Workforce in California report created by the University of California, San Francisco, and supported by the California Board of Registered Nursing, noted an expected gap of 6.2% by the end of that year. However, the report predicted that RN shortages would persist only until 2029 when supply and demand became balanced. By 2037, the state projects a nursing surplus of 8.1%.

Conversely, data within Alaska indicates the state will continue grappling with shortcomings in its nursing staff. It had the highest deficit of RNs in the HRSA’s 2014-2030 report at 22.7% but didn’t rank in the top 10 states in its upcoming 2020-2035 projections.

Despite this change, the Alaska Healthcare Workforce Analysis published in December 2022 stated that RNs are the top category needing new healthcare workers annually to keep up with resulting needs. Based on its average quarterly count in 2021, the state had 6,995 RNs, with an average churn of 21%. The state needs 1,463 new workers for replacements, plus 81 more for growth, creating a total of 1,544 new RNs needed each year.

Historically, Alaska has found it challenging to attract and retain skilled nurses and other medical professionals, with the pandemic exacerbating the situation. For nurses seeking job security, the Last Frontier can definitely help them fulfill that goal. Besides RNs, LPNs will also feel a projected shortage of 36%.

According to the 2022 Alaska Hospital and Healthcare Association Salary and Benefits Report, hospital RN vacancy rates averaged 24% in 2022, with an average of 161 days to fill a vacant position. Travel nursing jobs in Alaska are typically abundant to help fill the staffing gaps in hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living facilities, with above-average travel RN salaries.

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Is There Really a Nursing Shortage?

nurse burnout / nursing shortage

Some organizations and nursing unions insist that the nation has plenty of registered nurses licensed, just not enough of them actively practicing. While recurrent shortages of RNs have been reported for decades, there isn’t any objective measure of whether a labor shortage truly exists (though many RNs attest to routine staffing shortages in their workplaces).

Although rising RN vacancy rates suggest a shortage, higher than usual vacancies may arise temporarily, such as when there’s a particularly bad flu season, transient demand due to seasonality or when an area builds a new hospital. Health systems may also post vacancies without actively seeking to fill these positions.

Per the Oregon Hospital Association’s 2020 Nursing Workforce Data File, the state had 59,778 licensed RNs that year. However, only about 75% were actively practicing. The lower number of practicing nurses versus licensed nurses also occurred in other nursing positions, with about 86% of CNAs, 83% of LPNs and 78% of APRNs actively practicing in their fields during this period compared to the number licensed. 

At the end of 2022, the NCSBN recorded more than 5.3 million active RN licenses nationwide. However, holding a license doesn’t necessarily mean all these professionals are actively working as bedside nurses. They may be retired, hold multiple single-state licenses to work as travel nurses or have found ways to use their nursing credentials in ways that don’t require them to provide direct patient care, such as teaching, consulting or writing. 

The shortage of RNs may be even more severe if you subtract the number of nurses with an active license who aren’t actually practicing. We compared the number of actively licensed nurses by state based on 2022 NCSBN records versus employed RNs based on 2022 USDOL records below.

State Actively Licensed RNs in 2022 per NCSBN Employed RNs in 2022 per USDOL Difference
Alabama 98,929 49,370 49,559
Alaska 16,885 6,730 10,155
Arizona 107,827 56,040 51,787
Arkansas 46,069 28,490 17,579
California 497,668 325,620 172,048
Colorado 85,041 52,390 32,651
Connecticut 89,876 34,290 55,586
Delaware 21,199 11,490 9,709
District of Columbia 36,368 11,820 24,548
Florida 361,134 197,630 163,504
Georgia 140,535 82,970 57,565
Hawaii 33,322 11,800 21,522
Idaho 28,778 13,680 15,098
Illinois 213,163 129,390 83,773
Indiana 128,358 67,350 61,008
Iowa 57,757 34,050 23,707
Kansas 53,240 30,520 22,720
Kentucky 73,649 44,970 28,679
Louisiana 65,627 43,790 21,837
Maine 28,803 14,610 14,193
Maryland 87,672 49,790 37,882
Massachusetts 168,951 94,100 74,851
Michigan* 169,808 101,470 68,338
Minnesota 129,302 63,800 65,502
Mississippi 52,437 29,370 23,067
Missouri 122,150 70,440 51,710
Montana 21,792 10,020 11,772
Nebraska 31,180 19,870 11,310
Nevada 56,601 23,970 32,631
New Hampshire 26,654 13,510 13,144
New Jersey 142,471 78,340 64,131
New Mexico 31,667 15,910 15,757
New York 386,331 190,470 195,861
North Carolina 154,397 104,300 50,097
North Dakota 17,440 11,300 6,140
Ohio 239,491 130,370 109,121
Oklahoma 50,453 30,320 20,133
Oregon 80,932 37,400 43,532
Pennsylvania 245,377 137,970 107,407
Rhode Island 29,294 11,190 18,104
South Carolina 79,061 44,030 35,031
South Dakota 19,672 14,360 5,312
Tennessee 113,294 60,840 52,454
Texas 380,867 231,060 149,807
Utah 44,154 22,830 21,324
Vermont 22,020 6,930 15,090
Virginia 116,181 69,510 46,671
Washington 126,460 64,920 61,540
West Virginia 34,492 21,110 13,382
Wisconsin 118,015 61,100 56,915
Wyoming 9,594 5,070 4,524

Sources: NCSBN, USDOL and Michigan Nurse Mapping Project
(*Michigan wasn’t participating in the Nursys Licensure Verification system in 2022, so we used data from the Michigan Nurse Mapping Project from the Michigan Public Health Institute)

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New Nursing Shortages Data Due Soon

Nurse organizations boost your career / nurses in class

A new HRSA report covering nurse workforce projections for 2020-2035 is expected soon but remains unavailable at this publication. However, preliminary data released via a brief in November 2022 already indicates a significant shift from the previous calculations listed above, including many more states having nurse staff deficits and at much higher rates. While it still predicts a surplus nationally in 2035, these estimates still utilize data from 2020, so the full impact of the pandemic still isn’t reflected. More accurate estimates won’t be possible until several more years of data become available.

However, even with a nationwide surplus, shortages and surpluses among states in 2035 still fluctuate, ranging from the largest shortage of 26% in Washington to the most significant oversupply of 48% in North Dakota. From the details available, the 10 states with the most significant shortfalls in nursing staff in 2035 include: 

  • Washington (26%)
  • Georgia (21%)
  • California (18%)
  • Oregon (16%)
  • Michigan (15%)
  • Idaho (15%)
  • Louisiana (13%)
  • North Carolina (13%)
  • New Jersey (12%)
  • South Carolina (11%)

Details for the remaining states haven’t been released as of February 6, 2024.

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What About Other Nurses?

According to the BLS, 59% of RNs worked in hospitals in 2022, compared to just 15% of LPN/LVNs. Nearly half of licensed practical/vocational nurses worked in nursing and residential care facilities or home healthcare services during this period.

While most research focuses on registered nurse shortages, the 2022 report on Nurse Workforce Projections from the HRSA projects that the demand for LPN/LVNs will also grow faster than the supply. It estimates a national shortage of 141,580 LPN/LVNs by 2035 as demand between 2020 and 2035 outpaces the projected supply, resulting in a shortage of 17% overall compared to a 5% shortage in 2025.

Like RNs, the actual shortage or surplus of LPN/LVNs varies by state. According to the HRSA report, Alaska will be hardest hit with an 88% shortage of LPNs, while Arkansas will see a surplus of 51% by 2035. Also notable is that NCSBN research indicates that LPN/LVNs have seen their ranks decline by 33,811 since the pandemic began, and this downward trend continues. 

How Nurse Demand and Shortages Impact You

Bear in mind that many factors can impact supply and demand, so a projected surplus can quickly become a shortage and vice versa. Also, different studies may result in differing outcomes based on the parameters used for each, and projections assume that historical patterns of graduation, labor force participation and departure from the labor force remain unchanged over the entire forecast period.

Many issues can impact whether parameters stay the same over a decade, which is why annual updates are necessary. As new data becomes available, Vivian will update this post to reflect current trends.

There will always be a constant need for healthcare services and registered nurses and other nursing professionals to provide these services. Whether you’re a travel nurse or a staff nurse looking for a change of scenery, knowing which states expect to have a surplus of nurses versus those facing shortages can help narrow your options.

States with nursing shortages will likely pursue recruitment strategies beneficial to nurses, such as offering higher salaries, better benefits, flexible scheduling and other incentives to attract nurses to the area. On the flip side, states with a surplus of nurses may not offer the most competitive wages.

Some healthcare employment locations have historically paid more than others with or without a shortage. However, higher costs of living often offset these inflated salaries. When comparing your relocation or travel assignment options, make sure the salary is a livable wage.

Vivian Health had nearly 93,000 staff, travel, local contract, per diem and locum tenens jobs posted for registered nurses in February 2024. Browse healthcare jobs to plan your next career move faster and easier than ever on Vivian.

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Editor’s Note: This blog post was originally published in October 2021, and has been updated annually to reflect the most recent data.

moira
Moira K. McGhee

Moira K. McGhee is Vivian’s Senior Editor & All-Around Wordsmith. As part of the Vivian Health team, she strives to help support the empowerment of nurses and other healthcare professionals in their pursuits to find top-notch travel, staff, local contract and per diem positions faster and easier than ever.

Comments (11)

I find that at the hospital where I work, we have been on mandatory overtime for the last 10 years. They have increased our patient ratio to try and get us off OT, but we have still remained on OT with a larger workload. Many I work with have retired or quit nursing because of this, which in turn makes us shorter of RNs and we get even more OT. We are NEVER short-staffed of Supervisors and above. It’s the bedside nurse who is constantly taking the hit.

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I worked as an RN in multiple health care settings for 45 years. At age 72, I didn’t renew my licensure. We were always short staffed, during the 70s and 80s! But at least you always had a job with good pay + benefits.

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Are RN’s the only Nurses?

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Hello Sharon and thanks for reaching out. Most of the data used for this post only included details on RNs. However, we try to cover the entire nursing profession when possible, so a section covering other levels of nursing has been added. Thank you for your feedback.

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I appreciate your article and the work you put in. However, this indicates a 5k surplus in my home state of Ohio, yet many hospitals work short staffed every night. Also there are travel contracts in both urban and rural settings. Are there just early retirees with active licenses? Or newly licensed that already quit the career field added in? Stats compared to daily grind reality doesn’t seem to match.

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Hello Michele and thanks for reaching out! The information provided indicates long-term projections from 2020 through 2030, which likely won’t mesh with the current reality. Also, keep in mind that these are projections from a single study using specific parameters. Other studies using different paraments may see different results, especially those completed on the state level. Many factors can impact supply and demand. A projected surplus can quickly become a shortage and vice versa. We’ll routinely revisit this post to provide updates based on the most current data available, so check back to compare any changes in your state after each update.

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Hi Moira! Thanks for sharing this enlightening information!
I am RN/BSN nurse in Texas, currently unemployed due to medical issues. I am 67 years young and have embraced my nursing career since 1974. Is there demand, and will there be demand, for veteran nurses? If so, what field would you recommend? TYIA

Reply

Hello Hellen! I’m so glad you found the information helpful. RNs are always in high demand, so veteran nurses should also find plenty of opportunities. For recommended fields, consider reaching out to your local hospitals to learn their greatest needs within the areas matching your expertise. If you’d like to have more control over your schedule and work fewer hours, you might consider a per diem role. Vivian has some per diem positions in Texas posted here https://www.vivian.com/nursing/per-diem/texas/. If you like to travel, have you considered travel nursing? Many travel nurses are professionals who choose to travel for the last part of their careers, either before or during their retirement. Travel nursing also gives you more freedom and flexibility in deciding when and where you want to work. Vivian always has numerous travel nursing jobs posted from locations nationwide, which you can find here https://www.vivian.com/nursing/travel/. I hope this helps you find the job you’re seeking. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to go to the “Contact Vivian” option under the Resources tab to speak with our 24/7 help desk.

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Not sure how that Georgia “surplus” is going. Lots of needs in Georgia get posted.

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Moira,
Your articles are amazing and your information is very accurate with SO MANY helpful resources to help both travel and staff RNs! As one who personally has seen and experienced the life and struggles of human life in ICU both before and during COVID, I want to THANK YOU for helping my fellow RNs!!! We went from Heroes to zeroes in no time flat, so your detailed research and information on shortages, mandates, and bans, positions, projected shortages, etc are very valuable resources for all of us! I wanted to say you are amazing, (and a blessing), and I plan to share your articles with all the nurses I know! Thank you again for all that you do and God Bless!

Reply

Thank you Jacqueline for your kind words! I’m so glad my articles have been a helpful resource for you and your fellow nurses. Take care of yourself out there!

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