THE 7 STATES EXPECTED TO HAVE THE MOST AVAILABLE NURSING JOBS
**UPDATED APRIL 2022**
In 2017, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) did extensive research on the U.S. nursing workforce. Based on their findings, the HRSA made projections regarding the supply and demand of both registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical/vocational nurses (LPNs) across the United States.
Not only did the HRSA predict which states will have nursing surpluses and shortages by the year 2030, they also found that nursing jobs make up the largest percentage of careers in the U.S. health care workforce. If there were no nurses, the health care system as we know it would collapse.
The HRSA predicted that certain states like Florida, Ohio, Virginia and New York or states that need nurses would have a surplus of registered nurses by 2030. They also projected some states like Ohio and California to have a surplus of LPNs.
However, the HRSA predicted that if we are to maintain our current level of health care, 10 states will experience a significant deficit of registered nurses by 2030. Four states in particular are projected to have a shortage of more than 10,000 registered nurses, or FTEs (full-time equivalents.)
THE 7 STATES WITH THE LARGEST NEED FOR REGISTERED NURSES (RNs)
- CALIFORNIA –44,500 FTEs
- TEXAS–15,900 FTEs
- NEW JERSEY–11,400 FTEs
- SOUTH CAROLINA–10,400 FTEs
- ALASKA –5,400 FTEs
- GEORGIA–2,200 FTEs
- SOUTH DAKOTA–1,900 FTEs
While the HRSA also predicted that 33 states will experience a shortage of LPNs by 2030, the impact is not quite as significant as that of RNs since LPNs can be trained faster and with less costs. The demand for LPNs is expected to increase faster than the supply by 2022.
STATES WITH THE LARGEST NEED FOR LPNs
- TEXAS –33,500 FTEs
- PENNSYLVANIA–18,700 FTEs
- FLORIDA – 10,300 FTEs
- GEORGIA–10,500 FTEs
- NORTH CAROLINA–10,700 FTEs
- ALABAMA–9,600 FTEs
- MARYLAND–8,400 FTEs
REASONS FOR THE NURSING SHORTAGE
There are a number of reasons for the expected nursing shortage, like aging Baby Boomers, retiring Baby Boomer nurses and a steady growth in the prevalence of chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease, stroke, obesity and arthritis.
RNs and LPNs also tend to work in the same state where they received their training. This means that states where fewer people enter the nursing profession end up having a deficit. Another problem is that not enough future nurses are enrolling in nursing schools to meet the growing demand. Not enough qualified faculty members at nursing schools also compounds the problem.
Other factors contributing to the expected nursing shortage are high stress levels and a high turnover rate for newly-licensed RNs. Many RNs work in environments where there aren’t enough nurses working alongside them. When this happens, they have less time to spend with each patient, which affects the quality of care they can provide as well as their job satisfaction.
In our extensive experience in healthcare recruiters, we have also seen an increased need for specialty nurses trained to work in specialized areas like intensive care, psychiatrics or oncology.
OUR HEALTHCARE RECRUITING COMPANY PLACES RNS AND LPNs
As a top healthcare recruiting company, we at De Vore specialize in filling both nursing and director-level health care positions for hospitals and facilities around the country.
See all our available positions, including registered nursing jobs, here.
Whether you are a health care employer or are looking to further your career in healthcare in 2019, contact us today at (877) 411-4358. Our skilled healthcare recruiters would love to speak with you.
