Publications

How Can We Obtain Data on the Demand for Nurses?

Author(s): 

Joanne Spetz, Christine Kovner

Date: 
July 8, 2013

Sources related to demand for nurses data are more difficult to find, and also more difficult to interpret relative to supply. When people talk about the "demand" for nurses, they can have multiple concepts in mind. Even if the concept is well-defined, the data may not clearly align with the intended concept. As with data on RN supply, the relative value of different data sources on RN demand depends on the goals of the data collection and analysis. To measure the current demand for nurses, employer surveys are ideal. Such surveys can explicitly obtain information about vacant positions to measure the total demand for nurses.