The 2017 National Nursing Workforce Survey

The purpose of this study is to provide the nation with the most accurate data available on the characteristics of the U.S. nursing workforce. Since 2013, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) and The National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers (Forum) have partnered every 2 years to conduct this national sample survey using the Forum's Nurse Supply Minimum Data Set (MDS), a standardized survey tool designed to collect workforce data. These data will help answer some of the pressing questions asked by health care workforce researchers, policy makers, and leaders in nursing education and practice to assist in workforce planning and provide evidence for decisions impacting the future of nursing in America. Previously, NCSBN and the Forum reported on the state of the workforce in The 2015 National Nursing Workforce Survey. The 2015 study estimated that in the United States and its territories, 3,852,881 individuals held active registered nurse (RN) licenses, and 906,471 held an active licensed practical nurse/licensed vocational nurse (LPN/LVN) license (Budden, Moulton, Harper, Brunell, & Smiley, 2016). Approximately 12% of these nurses held multiple licenses. The study identified an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) workforce that appeared to be increasing in age in addition to an aging population of nurse educators. Eighty-one percent of respondents with RN licenses were actively employed in nursing and 77% of those with LPN/LVN licenses were actively employed in nursing. According to the 2015 study, hospitals were the most common employment setting for RNs (or 54% of respondents). However, the authors recognized that the work setting for both RNs and LPNs/LVNs was changing due to telehealth technologies and other factors. Demographically, the 2015 survey found that 19.5% of RN respondents and 32% of LPN/LVN respondents were from underrepresented racial and ethnic populations. The study also noted that minority populations were better represented in younger cohorts and among more recently licensed RNs. Data from this survey indicated that the median salary for males was higher than for females among both RNs and LPN s/LVNs ($72,000 versus $64,000 among RNs, and $43,2000 versus $38,000 among LPNs/LVNs.