Nursing:Can It Remain a Source of Upward Mobility Amidst Healthcare Turmoil?

By: Anthony P. Carnevale, Nicole Smith, and Artem Gulish

August 30, 2017

Overview•Healthcare overhaul could threaten nursing jobs

•156,000 nursing jobs could be at risk as US healthcare debate

continues

•Many nurses are working learners

•Nursing involves more than direct patient care

•RNs with more education have higher wages

•Lack of racial/ethnic diversity remains a challenge

•Male RNs make more than female RNs at every educational

attainment level

Healthcare overhaul could put more than

156,000 nursing jobs at risk

•Nursing is the largest healthcare profession, with 3.2 million

RNs and 720,000 LPNs/LVNs

•Repeal of Obamacare could cause a decline in demand for

healthcare services as health insurance coverage would

decrease

Over the last 35 years, RNs’ college degree

attainment doubled

•Among RNs, 66 percent have a Bachelor of Science in

Nursing (BSN) or higher

•Sixteen percent of RNs have graduate degrees—a Master

of Science in Nursing (MSN), a Doctor of Nursing

Practice (DNP) or a Doctor of Nursing Science (DNS)

•Advanced degrees and specific certifications, such as

cardiac life support and medical coding, are becoming

common additional credentials for RNs

Educational attainment (cont.)

Many nurses are working learners

•10 percent of nurses who are working full-time or part-time are

also enrolled in postsecondary institutions

•Shift to the BSN as the dominant nursing credential risks

leaving Black and Latino nurses behind: 70 percent of RNs with

a BSN are White, 10 percent are Black, and 6 percent are Latino

Nursing involves more than direct patient care

RNs with more education have higher earnings

•Annual earnings for RNs average $67,000 a year, which is

$7,000 higher than the average for all workers ages 25-54

•Nurses with a BSN have average annual earnings of $68,000,

which is $8,000 higher than the average for women with a

bachelor’s degree

•RNs with a master’s or a doctoral degree have the highest

annual earnings ($81,000), while those with a hospital based

diploma have the lowest ($56,000)

Earnings (cont.)

Lack of racial/ethnic diversity remains a

challenge

•Whites represent 64 percent of the US population and 70

percent of RNs with a BSN

•Unlike the RN workforce, the LPN/LVN workforce reflects

relatively greater diversity—the share of minority

LPNs/LVNs increased from 16 percent in 1983 to 43 percent

in 2016

Diversity (cont.)

Male RNs make more than female RNs at

every education level

• The share of male RNs has more than tripled since 1980, but is still just 10

percent of RNs

• Male RNs with a BSN earn 19 percent more than female RNs with a BSN

• For RNs with an ADN the gender wage gap is 5 percent

Conclusion

•Lack of racial and ethnic diversity remains a challenge—only

7 percent of RNs are Latino, compared to 16 percent of the US

population who are Latino

•Changes in healthcare policy affect access to quality of care, as

well as availability of good jobs in nursing

•Loss of jobs in healthcare professions pose many implications

to family structure and mobility for women

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See the full report at: cew.georgetown.edu/nursingcareers