subject: Nursing Demographics: Who Are The Latest Nurses? [print this page] Nursing has never held it's place in more demand. In April 2011, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the BLS, affirmed that the healthcare industry has continued to thrive even as other sectors of the economy suffer from the economic chaos. Registered nurses, or RNs, form the largest percentage of health care personnel; the BLS forecasts their stats will increase by Twenty two % by 2018. Why the increase in the nursing occupation? With the baby boomer generation growing older, the medical care system will be required to expand to take care of the increasing need.
Due to the greater need for RNs, the demographics of the nursing population are ever shifting. Reported by a 2004 investigation, the average age of a working nurse is 46.8 years. Not surprisingly, the huge requirement and job security of nursing draws the middle-aged population. Actually, the employment of nurses in excess of age 50 is rising quicker than every other age group; their group made up over Forty percent of the nurse workforce last year. With a frustrating economy, folks trying to find a steady occupation or a career move typically consider nursing.
The current nurses don't seem to be purely women, but males are woefully underrepresented in the field. At this time, adult males constitute only 5.8 percent of the nurse work force. The American Assembly for Men in Nursing is an operation attempting to persuade men of every age group to get into the nursing occupation; its intention is to have 20 % male registration in nursing schools and training throughout the country by 2020.
The historical past of male nurses has involved curious changes in the last century. For centuries, nursing was a male-dominated occupation; it was just in the early Twentieth century that the American Nurses Association was started and began leaving out men. This habit lasted until 1930. However, males were prohibited from becoming nurses inside the army until following the Korean War. After men armed forces nurses were allowed again, the number of male nurses in the civilian world begun to multiply, too; however, the job has remained a mainly female area.
Minorities are another demographic underrepresented in the nursing field. Only 4.2 percent of nurses identify as black or African American, 3.1 % as Asian, and 1.7Percent as Hispanic or Latino. More black or African American nurses have masters or doctoral certifications in nursing than Caucasians: 14.2 % versus 13.2 percent. Nurses of african american or Asian ethnic background were more probable than any other nurses to receive a minimum of a bachelors degree in the industry.
Unless the existing nurse dearth is solved and the 135,000 RN placements are filled, the health care system and people will suffer. Nursing earnings are greater than they've been in a long time, and yet, for the job they carry out, nurses are overworked and underpaid. As per a campaign to advertise nurse appreciation, nurses operate 11 billion hours a year, at a greater risk of injury than construction workers. For the endeavors they make to save lives and give attention and comfort, nurses offer an vital service.
