Forecasts of the Registered Nurse Workforce in California, 2011

Date: 11/10/2011
California Board of Registered Nursing
Author(s): Joanne Spetz

 

This report presents supply and demand forecasts for the Registered Nurse (RN) workforce in California from 2011 through 2030. These new forecasts are based on data from the 2010 California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) Survey of Registered Nurses, the US Bureau of Health Professions (BHPr) 2008 National Sample Survey of RNs, and data extracted from the BRN license records. The 2011 forecasts indicate that the shortage of RNs identified in 2005 has narrowed, and in fact there may be a small surplus of nurses at the current time. In the long term, it is possible that supply continues to exceed demand, although it also is plausible that a new shortage of RNs will emerge.