Study: Nursing workforce growing more diverse, educated

Editor's Note

The nursing workforce is growing more diverse and educated, and relationships between nurses and physicians are improving, finds this study.

Data on nearly 5,000 nurses in 13 states were included in the study. The nurses comprised four cohorts who were surveyed in 2006, 2009, 2012, and 2016.

Significantly more males became nurses, growing from 8.8% in 2005 to 13.6% in 2015. Ethnic/racial diversity increased, particularly among Hispanic nurses, with the percentage of non-Hispanic nurses decreasing from 78.9% in 2008 to 73.8% in 2015. The most recent group of new nurses were more likely to have a BSN or higher (48.5%), compared to nurses in 2005 (36.6%).

When new nurses were asked about collegial relations between nurses and physicians, there was an upward positive trajectory increasing almost 7% between 2005 and 2015.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, The Future of Nursing, included recommendations  to increase nurse diversity, the percent of nurses obtaining a bachelor’s degree, and inter-professional education.

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