Registered Nurses

The nursing field is the largest of all health care occupations, and employment prospects for nurses are good. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) projects that employment of registered nurses will increase 6 percent from 2023 through 2033, faster than the average for all professions. This will lead to the creation of 194,500 job openings each year. Registered nurses with at least a bachelor’s degree in nursing will have the best job prospects.

There has been a serious shortage of nurses in recent years. Many nurses are expected to leave the profession in the coming years because of unsatisfactory working conditions, including low pay, severe understaffing, high stress, physical demands, mandatory overtime, and irregular hours. The shortage will also be exacerbated by the increasing numbers of baby-boomer aged nurses who are expected to retire, creating more open positions than there are graduates of nursing programs.

The faster-than-average job growth in this field is also a result of improving medical technology that will allow for treatments of many more diseases and health conditions. Nurses will be in strong demand to work with the rapidly growing population of senior citizens in the United States. Another factor that is prompting growth is the passage of the Affordable Care Act, which has greatly increased the number of Americans who are eligible for health insurance. As more people sign up for insurance, demand is growing for more health care professionals, including nurses, to provide care to them.

Employment in home care and nursing homes is expected to grow rapidly. Though more people are living well into their 80s and 90s, many need the kind of long-term care available at a nursing home. Also, because of financial reasons, patients are being released from hospitals sooner and admitted into nursing homes. Many nursing homes have facilities and staff capable of caring for long-term rehabilitation patients, as well as those afflicted with Alzheimer's. Many nurses will also be needed to help staff the growing number of outpatient facilities, such as HMOs, group medical practices, and ambulatory surgery centers.

Advanced practice nursing specialties will be in great demand. The DOL predicts that employment for nurse practitioners will grow by 46 percent through 2033, or much faster than the average for all careers. Job opportunities will also be excellent for nurse anesthetists (+10 percent) and nurse midwives (+7 percent).