Statistics Of The Nursing Profession
Over the past 15 years, the number of students entering into nursing programs has increased, which will prove to be an excellent career move because the need for nurses in the country is continuing to increase. As baby boomers age and retire, it seems that millennials are replacing those who were working in the nursing field. In fact, a recent Health Affairs study found that millennials are twice as likely to enter into a nursing career than the baby boomer generation.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicted that registered nurse employment will grow from 2014 to 2024 by about 16 percent which is much faster than other occupations. While the job isn’t without its struggles, new statistics show that there are several improvements that nurses can be excited about.
For the 15th year in a row professionals in nursing have been rated as the most honest and ethical of professionals. The survey had over 1000 respondents who gave favorable responses regarding honesty and ethical standards of nurses who scored a very high 84%. Yet, nurses already know that their profession is one of the greatest occupations to be in, and thankfully the field is continuing to grow.
Earnings
Thankfully, new statistics are showing that as the need for nurses increases, so is their salary further solidifying that fact that nursing jobs are in demand and here to stay. During the 2016 year, the average earnings for both registered nurses and licensed practical nurses increased with full-time RNs earning an average of $80,000 a year compared to an average of $78,000 a year in 2015. Full-time LPNs earned an average of $46,000 during 2016 as compared to $43,000 for 2015.
The number of overtime hours worked by nurses in 2016 has also decreased. This is positive news considering that overtime is so common in the field and the majority of RNs and LPNs work for an hourly wage. In 2015, 47% of RNs worked overtime and that has decreased 10% in 2016 with only 37% of RNs working overtime.
Nurses In Unions
Statistics show that union membership for nurses is still a rarity. Only 12% of registered nurses and 7% of licensed practical nurses belong to unions, and statistics show that being in a union is beneficial to nurses in the form of increased annual earnings. During 2016 there was a 14% increase in earnings for RNs and an 11% increase for LPNs that belonged to a union.
About the Author:
Tim Becker Partner at Minneapolis’ Johnson // Becker PLLC, and lead sponsor of WageAdvocates.com. He is committed to providing clients effective, aggressive legal representation, and has prosecuted numerous individual FLSA violation claims.