Nursing Facts
Nursing: The Facts*
- Registered nurses (RNs) constitute the largest health care occupation in the United States, with 2.3 million jobs.
- The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that employment for registered nurses will grow faster than any other occupation through 2012.
- Nurses comprise the largest single component of hospital staff, are the primary providers of hospital patient care, and deliver most of the nation's long-term care.
- Although 60 percent of RNs work in hospitals, nursing opportunities also abound in private practices, public health agencies, primary care clinics, home health care, nursing homes, schools, and other settings.
- The primary pathway to professional nursing is the four-year bachelor of science degree in nursing.
*American Association of Colleges of Nursing source of information.
