The number of registered nurses is on the rise around the country, a new government survey shows.
The Health Resources and Services Administration, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, reported last week that the number of licensed RNs grew 5 percent between 2004 and 2008. Nearly 450,000 nurses received their first American licenses during that time - a reflection of the nation's rising demand for nurses.
Indeed, the aging of the U.S. population could accelerate demand for caregivers even further. Not only will the country's 70 million-plus baby boomers need more care as they enter their golden years, but the population of nurses and nursing instructors is aging, too.
In 2008, the HRSA says, 45 percent of nurses were 50 or older. In 2000, just 33 percent were; two decades before that, only a quarter of nurses were over 50.
It's not just the growth in nursing demand that makes nursing an attractive profession. Nurses' salaries have increased nearly 15.9 percent since 2004, the HRSA reports - faster than the growth of inflation.
The agency's 2008 survey was sent to 55,171 nurses.
