California Nursing Schools, Programs and Degrees

RN - Job Outlook

Registered nurses with at least a bachelor's degree have better job prospects than those without a bachelor's. In addition, all four advanced practice specialties - clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners, midwives, and anesthetists will be in high demand, particularly in medically underserved areas. These registered nurses serve increasingly as lower-cost primary care providers. Enrollments in nursing programs at all levels have increased more rapidly in the past couple of years as students seek jobs with stable employment, however, many qualified applicants are being turned away because of a shortage of nursing faculty. The need for nursing faculty will only increase as a large number of instructors nears retirement.

Employers in some parts of the country are reporting difficulty in attracting and retaining an adequate number of registered nurses due primarily to an aging RN workforce and insufficient nursing school enrollments. Many employers are relying on foreign-educated nurses to fill open positions. Imbalances between the supply of, and demand for, qualified nurses should spur efforts to attract and retain qualified registered nurses. For example, employers may restructure workloads, improve compensation and working conditions, and subsidize training or continuing education. Many employers now offer incentives such as $5000 to $10000 sign-up bonuses for qualified, experienced registered nurses but even new graduates may be offered substantial incentives. The average annual salary of registered nurses is above $52,000 but in some parts of California they earn more than $70,000.

Job opportunities for registered nurses in all specialties are expected to be very good. Employment of registered nurses is expected to grow by more than 36% through 2016. Employment of registered nurses is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2016, and because the occupation is very large, many new jobs will result. In fact, more new jobs are expected to be created for registered nurses than for any other occupation and registered nurses are projected to create the second largest number of new jobs among all occupations. Thousands of job openings will result from the need to replace experienced nurses who leave the occupation, especially as the median age of the registered nurse population continues to rise.

The fast growth will be driven by technological advances in patient care, which permit a greater number of medical problems to be treated, and an increasing emphasis on preventive care. In addition, the number of older people, who are much more likely than younger people to need nursing care, is projected to grow rapidly.

Employment in hospitals, the largest sector, is expected to grow more slowly than in most other healthcare sectors. While the intensity of nursing care is likely to increase, requiring more nurses per patient, the number of inpatients (those who remain in the hospital for more than 24 hours) is not likely to increase much. Patients are being discharged earlier and more procedures are being done on an outpatient basis, both inside and outside hospitals. Rapid growth is expected in hospital outpatient facilities, such as those providing same-day surgery, rehabilitation, and chemotherapy.

Employment in home healthcare is expected to increase rapidly in response to the growing number of older persons with functional disabilities, consumer preference for care in the home, and technological advances that make it possible to bring increasingly complex treatments into the home. The type of care demanded will require nurses who are able to perform complex procedures.

In evolving integrated healthcare networks, nurses may rotate among various employment settings. Because jobs in traditional hospital nursing positions are no longer the only option, registered nurses need to be flexible. Opportunities should be excellent, particularly for nurses with advanced education and training. Despite the slower employment growth in hospitals, job opportunities should still be excellent because of the relatively high turnover of hospital nurses. Registered nurses working in hospitals frequently work overtime, night and weekend shifts, and also treat seriously ill and injured patients, all of which can contribute to stress and burnout. The hospital departments in which these working conditions occur most frequently are critical care units, emergency departments, and operating rooms. These hospital departments generally have more job openings than other departments.

An increasing proportion of procedures which were performed only in hospitals are being performed in physicians' offices and in outpatient care centers, such as freestanding ambulatory surgical and emergency centers. Accordingly, employment is expected to grow faster than average in these places as healthcare in general expands.

Employment in nursing care facilities is expected to grow faster than average due to increases in the number of elderly, many of whom require long-term care. In addition, the financial pressure on hospitals to discharge patients as soon as possible should produce more admissions to nursing care facilities. Job growth also is expected in units that provide specialized long-term rehabilitation for stroke and head injury patients, as well as units that treat Alzheimer's victims.