GROWING NEED, REWARDING CAREER
As population ages, great time to become a nurse in Bay State
There are more than 150,000 registered nurse and licensed practical nurse licensees in Massachusetts, but that number has increased by only 15 percent or so in the past 25 years, despite a growing population that’s also getting older.
According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the U.S. is projected to experience a shortage of registered nurses (RNs) that is expected to intensify as Baby Boomers age and the need for health care grows. At the same time, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Employment Projections for 2014-2024, registered nursing is listed among the top occupations in terms of job growth through 2024. The RN workforce is expected to grow from 2.7 million in 2014 to 3.2 million in 2024, an increase of 16 percent. The bureau also projects the need for 649,100 replacement nurses in the workforce, bringing the total number of job openings for nurses due to growth and replacements to 1.09 million by 2024.
The good news? It’s a very good time to pursue a career in nursing, including advanced practice nursing specialties, such as certified nurse practitioner or
clinical nurse specialists.
Beyond a rewarding career as health care providers, registered nurses and advanced practitioners in the Bay State can expect annual mean wages among the top-five in the country — $120,140 a year for nurse practitioners and $89,330 for registered nurses. Yet, despite great wages and job outlooks, nurses today are facing a changing health care ecosystem, a shifting population and new challenges. These challenges are being tackled head-on by Massachusetts nursing education programs who are faced with not just responding to the changing face of health care, but anticipating its future. Lucky for patients (and future patients), nursing schools are taking a proactive and multi-disciplinary approach.
One facet that is changing rapidly is the average age of Bay Staters. In Massachusetts, the percentage of the state population age 65 or older will increase from 14 percent in 2010, to 17 percent in 2020, to 19 percent in 2025, to 21 percent in 2030. The need for health care professionals specially trained to address older populations will become increasingly acute.
“Our population is aging, and statistics show that more and more people are 65 and older. People are living longer and there are different needs, so our students need to be able to do that,” said Patricia Reidy, director of advanced Practice Programs and an associate professor in the School of Nursing at MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston. Reidy oversees the adult-