A group of nurse practitioners has sued New York state in federal court alleging their employer has them doing the same work as physicians, but for substantially less pay.
The lawsuit is part of an ongoing nationwide battle, in which nurse practitioners continue to seek expanded scope of practice, compensation and title changes to earn equality with their physician counterparts.
Here are eight things to know about nurse practitioner compensation, scope of practice and more in 2024:
1. A large majority of physicians, 74%, frown upon nurses with clinical PhDs calling themselves "doctor," while 14% of physicians are fine with clinical nurses calling themselves "doctor." Many physicians believe that allowing nurses to use the "doctor" moniker can confuse patients and complicate care. California and Georgia have recently passed laws that prevent nurses from using the title.
2. The trend of "quiet quitting" has swept through the U.S. workforce in the last few years, and now there could be a rise in nurse practitioners and physician assistants quiet quitting. A Gallup poll updated in 2023 found that about 50% of the workforce were "quiet quitters" or disengaged in the office, while a 2024 survey found that 57% of frontline medical staff, including NPs and PAs, report being disengaged at work.
3. Seven in 10 nurse practitioners report feeling burned out or depressed in 2024.
4. Nurse practitioners are the most in-demand medical specialists in 2023 and 2024, according to AMN Healthcare's 2024 "Review of Physician and Advanced Practitioner Recruiting Incentives," report.
5. Minneapolis-based University of Minnesota plans to shutter a nurse practitioner-led clinic at the end of October. In 2023, the university shuttered another nurse practitioner-led clinic at its clinics and surgery center building. Nurse practitioners at the Minneapolis clinic cared for an average of 800 patients per year.
6. The average annual wage for nurse practitioners has increased in each of the past five years, rising from $111,840 in 2019 to $128,490 in 2023, a total increase of more than $16,000.
7. In 2022, California nurse practitioner Sarah Erny, DNP, was fined nearly $20,000 for illegally presenting herself as a physician, calling herself "doctor" on social media and with patients. Last year, Dr. Erny, along with a group of California DNPs, sued the state alleging that prohibiting them from calling themselves "doctor" restricts their right to free speech.
8. The role of nurse practitioner was named the best job in healthcare by U.S. News & World Report for 2024. It also was named the best job to have overall, with a median salary of $121,610 and an unemployment rate of just 0.6%.