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Healthcare analyst Peter Buerhaus, RN, PhD, FAAN, told nurse leaders in the DC/Maryland/Virginia region that the nursing workforce is undergoing a change.

“The average age of the registered nurse workforce is getting younger,” said Buerhaus, the Valere Potter Professor of Nursing at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn.

While discussing nursing workforce challenges with members of the Maryland Organization of Nurse Executives at their January meeting, Buerhaus noted nursing is still facing a shortage although it will not be as severe as previously predicted.

One of the favorable trends shaping the nursing workforce is the growing number of younger nurses entering the workforce.

By the end of the decade, the workforce will be two years younger. Since 2003, there has been a steady increase in nurses ages 23 to 25 entering the workforce with significant growth noted in 2008. Buerhaus attributes this influx to efforts of the Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing’s Future.

In addition, there has been a surge in RN employment with nurses employed in hospitals increasing by nearly 250,000 since 2007.

However, Buerhaus cautioned that nurses between the ages of 50 and 64 are still the fastest-growing segment of the workforce and likely will retire when the economy recovers.

He also reported steady improvement in nursing work environments.

In the past few years, significant improvements have been seen in nurses’ job satisfaction, quality of nursing care and nurses’ work life. Two areas that require continued attention are workplace injuries and hostility (including incidents of verbal and physical violence). The number of nurses reporting workplace injuries rose from 41% in 2006 to 45% in 2008 while reports of sexual harassment and hostile work environments rose from 19% in 2006 to 23% in 2008.

Buerhaus urged nurse leaders not to let the current employment situation distract them and to prepare for the projected long-term threats of the nursing shortage. He encouraged nurse leaders to develop innovative programs to keep new graduates in the workforce, educate the public on the value of nursing and help reform nursing education to produce nurses needed for the future.

Terri Gaffney is vice president, nursing communications & initiatives for Nursing Spectrum.

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