The demand for nurse practitioners over the next decade will be stronger than initially thought, according to research in the July issue of Medical Care.
Researchers project that the nursing workforce will swell to 244,000 in 2025, increasing by 94 percent from 2008. The number of nurses who strictly identify as "nurse practitioners" will grow from 86,000 to 198,000, an increase of 130 percent.
This anticipated growth indicates that nurses will fulfill much of the demand for future healthcare, the researchers concluded, adding that debates over the quality of care will likely intensify as the ratio of nurse practitioners to physicians changes.
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Researchers project that the nursing workforce will swell to 244,000 in 2025, increasing by 94 percent from 2008. The number of nurses who strictly identify as "nurse practitioners" will grow from 86,000 to 198,000, an increase of 130 percent.
This anticipated growth indicates that nurses will fulfill much of the demand for future healthcare, the researchers concluded, adding that debates over the quality of care will likely intensify as the ratio of nurse practitioners to physicians changes.
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