U.S. Registered Nurses Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By End Use (Hospitals, Ambulatory Care Settings, Nursing Home, Others), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2020 To 2027

The U.S. registered nurses market is anticipated to grow significantly over the forecast period. The high number of retiring baby boomers and increasing demand for nurses is expected to drive the market growth. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics listed the Registered Nursing (RN) as one of the top occupations in terms of market growth. It also estimates the number of RNs to increase from 2.9 million to 3.4 million during the period 2016 to 2026. 

In order to meet the increasing demand for RNs, nursing schools across the U.S. are struggling to expand their student intake capacity. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is working in association with nursing organizations, policymakers, schools, and the media to address this problem.

As per the 2017 National Nursing Workforce Survey, the percentage of RNs opting to work in a critical care setting increased from 8.1% in 2015 to 10.2% in 2017. Also, the increasing number of patients requiring critical care is expected to propel the U.S. registered nurse's market growth.

According to a study published by the Journal of Nursing Scholarship, in 2017, there is an increase in the number of RNs with a baccalaureate degree since 2010. Also, according to the 2017 National Nursing Workforce Survey, the adoption of telehealth facilities by RNs to provide nursing services increased by 3.4% in 2017 as compared to 2015.

Demand for healthcare professionals is at an all-time high, including the nursing profession owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. Before COVID-19, the healthcare industry was already facing the shortage of nurses, and to treat coronavirus outbreak, demand for nurses across the U.S. has increased rapidly. As per the recent article published in March 2020, per diem nurses are hired at San Francisco General Hospital on a temporary basis.

According to the recent findings from NurseFly, a healthcare staffing platform, the average weekly pay for travel nurses has almost doubled as hospitals are offering crisis/pandemic rates up to USD 4,400 weekly to increase the staff for caring of the COVID-19 patients. The highest demand is for nursing staff at emergency departments (EDs), nurses specialized in Infection Control, and nursing staff at Intensive Care Units (ICUs).