Nurse practitioners are experiencing higher-than-average job growth and are one of the fastest-growing occupations in the nation.
In the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ most recent report on the 20 fastest-growing occupations in the nation, nurse practitioner comes in at a tie for number one. Employment of nurse practitioners is projected to grow 38% from 2022 to 2032, much faster than the average for all occupations.
We sat down with Purdue Global’s Michele McMahon, DNP, associate dean in the School of Nursing, to learn about the factors influencing the nurse practitioner job outlook.
About the Nurse Practitioner Role
An advanced practice registered nurse is a registered nurse who has earned at least a Master of Science in Nursing. The opportunities for practice are wide-ranging and can include becoming certified and licensed as an advanced practice nurse practitioner.
“Nurse practitioners can choose to work autonomously in various specialties, including family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, and women's health. They can also work in in-patient acute care settings, including the emergency department, urgent care, and geriatrics,” McMahon says.
Regardless of setting, NPs have a range of clinical skills that include diagnosing and managing acute and chronic conditions, ordering and interpreting laboratory and imaging studies, prescribing medication, and educating and making appropriate referrals for patients and families.
What’s Driving the Demand for Nurse Practitioners?
Four main factors behind the high demand for nurse practitioners are:
- The physician shortage and reduced access to care
- The aging baby boomer population
- The high number of baby boomer NPs who are retiring in the next decade
- The sharp increase in opioid use disorder and the number of people seeking mental health services
1. The Physician Shortage and Reduced Access to Care
One hundred two millionAmericans live in areas without adequate numbers of primary care providers, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration. The U.S. faces a projected shortage of between 37,800 and 124,000 physicians by 2034, according to a report released by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).
Specific AAMC projections by 2034 include shortages of:
- Between 17,800 and 48,000 primary care physicians
- Between 21,000 and 77,100 non-primary care physicians
“There is a shortage of primary care providers in the U.S.,” McMahon says. “And there is a limited number of physicians in rural areas as well. Because APRNs provide many of the same services as physicians, nurse practitioners are essential to bridging the gap and improving access to care in our communities.”
Nurse practitioners with full practice authority (this varies by state) have a positive impact on health outcomes and health care utilization. Nurse practitioners increase access to care, thereby increasing the incidence of routine well-visits and decreasing the need for urgent and emergency care services for conditions that may be treated and managed in the clinic.
“The AMA reports that there will be physician shortages for years to come. It may take up to 10 years for a physician to train and practice at their full capacity; the use of nurse practitioners can assist in providing care in both primary care and acute care settings to offset the effects of the physician shortages,” says McMahon.
2. The Aging Baby Boomer Population
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were 73 million baby boomers in the nation in 2019 (the latest year for which data is available). As people age, they need more medical care, which drives the need for nurse practitioners.
“The largest percentage of health care dollars is spent later in life,” McMahon says. “As a person ages, they often are managing more than one condition at a time. This poses an additional concern as the aging population will need to coordinate care and collaboration between all specialists caring for them.”
Due to the increasing number of those in the elderly population, McMahon projects a greater need for specialized registered nurses at the bedside and nurse practitioners to provide care in the primary care setting, acute setting, home health, skilled nursing facilities, and nursing homes.
3. The High Number of Baby Boomer NPs Who Are Retiring in the Next Decade
There’s a second aspect to the aging boomer population that’s relevant: baby boomer nurses are retiring in high numbers. According to the National Library of Medicine, in 2016, 59% of NPs age 60 and older and 15% of NPs ages 55–59 said they intended to retire in the next 5 years.
Altogether, about half of the RN workforce is age 46 or older, according to the National Nursing Workforce Study. “Their upcoming retirements are creating a huge need for more nurses, including APRNs,” says McMahon.
The aging of the nurse practitioner workforce isn’t the only reason why NPs are retiring in high numbers. That’s part of the reason, McMahon says, but the pandemic is another one.
“I think that the COVID-19 pandemic also pushed people into retirement,” she says. “It was quite a stressful situation and a lot to manage. I find that for multiple disciplines within health care, the stress of the pandemic was the catalyst to move into retirement.”
4. The Sharp Increase in Opioid Use Disorder and the Number of People Seeking Mental Health Services
The opioid epidemic and the growing mental health crisis in this country are driving the need for more health care workers across the board, NPs included.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, overdoses involving opioids killed over 80,000 people in 2021 — more than 10 times the number in 1999.
The number of people facing opioid use disorder has led to an increase in demand for services that NPs can offer, including:
- Diagnosis and treatment
- Detox
- Ongoing counseling and medication
- Treatment for health problems caused by their addiction, including drug overdoses
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 22.8% of U.S. adults (57.8 million people, or 1 in 5 adults) experienced mental illness in 2021.
“Post-pandemic, the mental health crisis has been at the forefront, driving the need for psychiatric mental health providers across the U.S.,” says McMahon. “NPs provide cost-effective care, which is also attractive to hospital systems as they recover from losses during the pandemic.”
Oftentimes, those struggling with addiction have additional mental health needs. To manage the addiction, it is essential to evaluate the need for additional mental health support and diagnosis.
“The impact of addiction does not only affect the addict but their families and their lives as a whole. Nurse practitioners can be vital when managing components pertaining to food insecurities, shelter, child care, and resources for survival for the patient and their families,” says McMahon.
>> Read: How to Become a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
The Rewards of Becoming an APRN
The rewards of nursing are immense. You help people care for what is arguably the most valuable aspect of their life: their health. You touch people when they are at their most vulnerable, and you can be instrumental in creating positive developments in the health care of our nation.
“Becoming an advanced practice nurse was one of the best decisions I've ever made,” McMahon says. “I take my passion for bedside nursing and put that toward managing patients holistically. I've been able to build relationships, perform outreach in the community, and help populations that are underserved. The connections I’ve made with families and patients have been extraordinarily touching. And I feel that I still have plenty of years to grow.”
This is an exciting time to be an APRN. Advanced practice nurses are key players in expanding access to care in this country.
“Being an APRN has been amazingly rewarding,” says McMahon. “I feel as though the opportunities are really endless. I'm excited to see what the future holds.”
Become a Nurse Practitioner With Purdue Global
Purdue Global offers an online master's degree in nursing with four focus areas that can prepare students to become advanced practice nurses in the following:
- Adult-gerontology acute care
- Adult-gerontology primary care
- Family nurse practitioner primary care
- Psychiatric mental health
For in-depth information about earning an MSN with us, read our guide, How to Become an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse With the Help of Purdue Global. Or, request more information today.
If you aren't sure which focus area is right for you, learn more about the different NP roles here:
- What's the Difference Between an AGNP and AGAC-NP?
- What Does a Family Nurse Practitioner Do?
- How to Become a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
- Career Profile: Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
