Florida Center for Nursing (FCN) Nurse Supply Findings Published

Nurse Supply Findings Published

The Center conducts an analysis of Licensed Practical Nurses, Registered Nurses, and Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners every two years to get a picture of Florida’s nurse supply -including the numbers of nurses, demographics, education, employment status, and specialization.

The supply reports present summary findings from the most recent completed licensure renewal cycle (2016-2017)

• The supply of RNs grew about 7.4%, ARNPs grew by 22%, and the number of LPNs decreased by 1.9% since 2015.
• Overall, the nurse workforce lost about 1,300 nurses to retirement in 2016-17. About 46% of renewing RNs, 44% of renewing LPNs, and 39% of renewing ARNPs were over the age of 50 in 2016-17.
• For each group, racial and ethnic diversity was more common among younger incoming and renewing nurses. LPNs had the largest non-white proportions, and ARNPs had the smallest.
• Almost 44% of employed RN renewals had a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing or higher degree. Education information was not available for newly licensed nurses.

The supply reports, available in the Statewide Data tab located on the centers webpage,  include detailed findings, comparisons over time and in relation to national data, and recommendations for nursing stakeholders.