NAPNAP Position Statement on the Nursing Workforce

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• Acknowledgment
• References

The National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) advocates for multidimensional solutions to ensure an adequate supply of nurses and nursing faculty. An adequate supply of professionally educated nurse practitioners (NPs) are needed to meet the growing health care needs of our nation’s children and families.

The shortage of registered nurses (RNs) is real and expected to increase to 340,000 by the year 2020 (Auerbach, Buerhaus, & Staiger, 2007) when 55% of today’s nurses are expected to have retired (The 2006 Aging Nursing Workforce Survey, 2006). This shortage of RNs equates to fewer nurses seeking advanced education to pursue the NP role. At the same time, the demand for physicians will significantly outweigh the supply by 2020, and the shortage likely will be highest among primary care physicians (Council on Graduate Medical Education, 2005). Today, nearly 20% of Americans (56 million individuals) are medically disenfranchised: they have inadequate or no access to primary care because of the physician shortage (National Association of Community Health Centers, 2007). Since NPs serve in primary and acute care, providing quality health care to children and families across the health care continuum, a nursing shortage will further jeopardize the health care system. It is vital to maintain and grow the nursing workforce by addressing education, health delivery systems, and work environments.

NAPNAP supports the following approaches to expand nursing education, enhance the NP profession, and improve work environments, thereby building the nursing workforce needed to meet the nation’s primary health care needs:

NAPNAP supports a multifaceted approach to solving the nursing workforce public health crisis. To meet the needs of the current and new generation of nursing professionals, it is critical to systemically examine educational programs, health care delivery systems, reimbursement issues, minority recruitment and retention, state and federal regulations, and health policy implications. Effective solutions can only be achieved though collaboration, cooperation, and communication among nursing leaders in education, practice, specialty nursing organizations, research, health care systems, and state and federal government leaders.

NAPNAP’s Mission: Promoting optimal health for children through leadership, practice, advocacy, education and research.

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The National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners would like to acknowledge the following members and individuals for their contribution to this statement: Patricia Clinton, PhD, RN, CPNP, Amy Demske, BA, Karen KellyThomas, PhD, RNC, FAAN, and Ann Sheehan, MA, CPNP.

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References 

1. Auerbach DI, Buerhaus PI, Staiger DO. Better late than never: Workforce supply implications of later entry into nursing. Health Affairs (Millwood). 2007;26:178–185
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2. Council on Graduate Medical Education. Physician workforce policy guidelines for the United States, 2000-2020. 2005;Sixteenth Report. Retrieved April 26, 2007, from http://www.cogme.gov/report16.htm#sumrec
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3. National Association of Community Health Centers. Access denied: A look at America’s medically disenfranchised. 2007;Retrieved April 26, 2007, from http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:KkCW832UQTAJ:www.nachc.com/research/Files/Access_Denied.pdf+access+denied+a+look+at+America%27s+disenfranchised&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us
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4. The 2006 Aging Nursing Workforce Survey. New York: Bernard Hodes Group; 2006;
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