Nursing by the Numbers

NURSES: by the numbers Nurses are worth their weight in gold to the patients they care for. Yet they are largely overworked and underpaid. With the ongoing nursing shortage and the growing demand for healthcare, it's one of the most in demand professions. National Nurses Day comes but once a year, but don't let that stop you from appreciating all that these dedicated men and women do. Let's take a look at Nurses by the numbers. There are more than 5.5 MILLION nurses and nurses aides in the United States That's more than the populations of 30 states and times the size bUS Arrly of the NOW NEEDED NOW ARMY NURSE CORPS Registered Nurses Licenses Practical Nurses Nursing Aides 2,500,000 750,000 2,300,000 6% 85% are men. Paid nursing has been a male dominated profession for thousands of years until about a century ago when the American Nurses Association started excluding men. are caucasian. RN Average Hourly Wage $50.19 San Jose, CA $31.31 National $20.41 Johnstown, PA LPN Average Hourly Wage $27.6 San Jose, CA $19.28 National $13.02 Joplin, MO Nurses Aide Hourly Wage $18.16 San Francisco, CA National $8.25 Albany, GA $11.84 Highly qualified nurses can certainly make good money. Certified registered nurse anesthetists make an average of $129,530 per year .but it's not easy. Nurses routinely deal with a lot of crap... .literally. The average bedridden and incontinent patient will expel 160 Ibs of ces a year With an average of 8 patients per nurse per shift, that's a possible 300 lbs of crap that will be dealt with. Nurses put in 11 billion hours of work during the year, often getting yelled at and puked on. They are injured more than construction workers and assaulted more than prison guards. 15 emergency department nurses meets the criteria for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder out every REGISTERED NURSE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT They also save lives. The aging baby boomers are creating a huge demand for healthcare services and nurses are in high demand. In June 2009, hospitals and care facilities added 21,000 new jobs while the country a whole eliminated 467,000. But where are the nurses? 135,000 There are more than registered nurse positions in the country... .with no nurses. By 2020, there will be one million. The nursing shortage is having an adverse effect on the quality of care in this country. Patients are literally dying because there is not enough nurses and studies have shown that it can be more cost effective to hire a nurse, than to pay for the liabilities of not having one. Which is why nursing salaries are at an all time high. So if you want to make a difference, and some cash too, then be a nurse. Or you can just give one a hug and tell 'em thanks! NursingSchool.org