2022 Nursing Employment Statistics (United States)

The healthcare industry has undergone tremendous changes in the past few years. From going through a global pandemic to staffing shortages to advances in healthcare coverage, all these variables have undoubtedly altered the healthcare professional landscape. And in particular, there has been a significant impact on the nursing employment statistics. 

Nurses Statistics

If you are considering improving your career or looking for a new job, you will need to conduct a nurse practitioner contract review to keep up to date with the latest changes. You will also have to assess the current nurse practitioner labor stats to keep up with job trends, ascertain job security, and determine whether there is potential for growth in your specialty. Without further ado, let us delve right in! You’re in for a treat! 

Nurse Practitioner Ranks #1 in Best Health Care Jobs List

According to the 2022 World Report and U.S. News, nurse practitioners ranked number one on the list of best healthcare jobs and number 2 in the 100 best jobs in the U.S. The profession ranked in the top spot due to its elusive mix of factors like median salary, unemployment rate, 10-year growth projection, work-life balance, stress, etc.

Due to the recent increase in the dire need for nurse practitioners caused by the COVID-19 pandemic serving as frontline health workers to working longer hours to matching patient demands, nurse practitioners definitely deserve this position. Their empathy, determination, and significant impact over the past few years cannot be overlooked.

Over 355,000 Nurse Practitioners Hold an Active License to Practice Within the U.S.

According to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, more than 355,000 nurse (NPs) have a license to practice across the United States as of 2021. Before the COVID-19 Pandemic, there were approximately 270,000 in the U.S., and the number has been steadily increasing by 9% to 10% per year, showing great promise to those looking to join the profession. 

Generally, the Pandemic highlighted the obvious; there is a massive demand for health care, and approximately 31.1 million Americans lack access to primary and quality healthcare. Nurse practitioners are experienced professionals, and their number is rapidly expanding to meet the patient demand. 

As a result, more and more nurse practitioners are moving into primary health care positions and other top job posts in the industry. In turn, many more patients throughout the United States opt to consult a nurse practitioner as their primary care physician.

Nurse Practitioners Make a Median Salary of $111,680

As of May 2020, the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that New York, New Jersey, California, Florida, Washington, and Texas have the highest employment rates among nurse practitioners. The mean yearly pay in these states is between $145,970 in California and $101,060 within Florida. As a result, their pay is over double the average salary for many other professions.

However, the main factors that dictate a nurse practitioner’s salary are their geography, specific employer, certification, specialty, and education level. Nurse practitioners with extensive experience are paid more recently than those entering the field. 

A 2020 survey by the Clinical Advisor Salary states that 73% of practicing nurse practitioners have acquired a master of science in nursing (MSN) degree. In addition, these nursing employment statistics show that most nurse practitioner N.P.s proceed to attain a doctor of nursing practice (DNP) degree.

There is a 52% Projected Job Growth for N.P.s in the Next 10 Years

The Bureau of Labor Statistics provides that nurse practitioner jobs are expected to expand by 52 % between 2020 and 2030, from 220,300 to 335,200. The rise in demand can be ascribed to an increased need for healthcare among the elderly and a greater focus on preventive and primary healthcare. Nurse practitioners also contribute increased value and expanded access to care as legislation improves, and jurisdictions grant nurse (N.P.s) more independence when practicing.

This projected job rate is higher than other occupations within the same period. As mentioned earlier, the factors described above show why qualified nurse practitioners N.P.s will be highly sought-after in the future years.

Hospitals, Physician Offices, and Other HealthCare Professionals are Among the Top Places Hiring N.P.s in 2022

In 2022 and beyond, outpatient care centers, hospitals and physician offices will continue to be the leading employers for N.P.s. Telemedicine is another growing sector and in need of competent nurse (N.P.s), alongside registered nurses (RNs). During the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak, hospitals and other healthcare organizations depended significantly on remote medical assistance, with many continuing to offer it as an option to date.

Psychiatric mental health is another area of growth for N.P.s. Psychiatric mental health nurse (N.P.s) were in high demand even before a worldwide pandemic focused attention on Americans’ mental health. Vacancies for this skilled nurse (N.P.) roles are anticipated to keep up with patient demand as individuals continue to struggle to manage various life stressors.

24 States in the U.S. Offer Patients Direct and Full Access to N.P.s

The 2021 United Health Foundation’s rankings of the top healthiest states include those that provide direct and full access to nurse practitioners N.P.s. These states are Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Vermont, Connecticut, and Hawaii. States with limited access to nurse (N.P.s) managed to rank as the least healthy states on the list. 

The awareness of the importance and relevance of nurse (N.P.s) has positively impacted the overall provision of healthcare services in many states on the list. Registered nurses who have completed further schooling are known as nurse practitioners, also referred to as advanced practice registered nurses. 

Extra training enables these medical practitioners to record patient histories, do physical exams, conduct lab tests, interpret test findings, prescribe medications, prescribe treatments, and educate patients and their families on maintaining their health. Nurse practitioners are trained to work in various fields, such as pediatrics or women’s health, and specialize by patient demographic. They might also work in academics or research.

Becoming a Nurse Practitioner

Taking on a nurse practitioner career requires a significant duration in school. All nurse practitioners must first be registered nurses, which necessitates completing a bachelor’s degree, associate’s degree, or other authorized qualification. It is also necessary to pass the National Council Licensure Examination.

After that, you will need to earn a master’s or doctoral degree, which might require two to four years to complete. Further certification is required to utilize the APRN job title and board certification for your particular specialty. This might include neonatal care, women’s health, or pediatrics, to mention a few. In addition, you will need to get a state-specific license.  

For more information on nursing employment statistics, read our Chelle Law blog.

How a Nurse Practitioner Should Negotiate a Contract | Nursing Contract Negotiation

How should a nurse practitioner negotiate their NP employment contract? There are many ways to go about this. But I like to start with how much leverage you have, and when I say leverage, I mean, are you just out of school and have no experience? So, you’re going to need a lot of training and support, then you’re going to have less leverage. Are you experienced in this specialty? Have you worked there for many years? You’re not going to need much training. You can kind of hit the ground running and then you’re going to have more leverage. Also, you want to consider it depends on which state you’re in. As you know, as nurse practitioners, your scope of practice kind of depends on which state you’re in.

If you’re in Arizona, you have a lot of autonomy and you need less supervision and oversight. In more states, it’s more likely that you would need a supervising physician, depending on what kind of services you’re going to be providing. You also want to think about how much experience you have, how much training is going to be required, and how much supervision is needed in your state. That kind of gives you where you are on the leverage scale. Normally, you’re provided with an agreement. So, they’re going to hand you either an offer letter, or a letter of intent, or they’ll just start with the employment agreement and it’s going to have their terms listed on there. Now, these are negotiable, it’s customary in your industry, when you receive a contract that there’s a little bit of back and forth.

Then you’re going to look at the document itself and you’re going to see what’s important to you. And what do you want to kind of use your leverage to negotiate. Most people start with your base compensation because when you start a new job, what you’re really thinking about is the money. And I totally get that. It’s exciting. It’s attractive when you see that number on there and you want to ask for more, but I start with the non-compete clause. First, are you in a state where a non-compete clause is enforceable? If you are, I would read that very carefully and that’s the first thing I would negotiate. And the reason why I say that is because if you have an overly restrictive non-compete and your employment ends with this employer, do you have to move out of state? I mean, are there options for you? Do you know if you’re going to be in violation of this non-compete or not? That’s what I would first negotiate. Non-competes are normally for either one to three years.

I would try to negotiate it down to at least a year, if not six months. And then the area. You want to consider if this job ends, are you going to stay in the area? And if the answer to that is yes, I would negotiate that restricted area down, the mileage down. And then also, if there are multiple locations, you should try to negotiate it to only attach to your primary location. Non-compete clauses, in my opinion, are the first thing that I would try to negotiate. And then I would kind of go from there. Then you can kind of decide on your salary if you want to negotiate more. A lot of people have different strategies. They never say yes to the first number. If you feel uncomfortable with it, you can reach out to the employer and ask if they’re open to negotiating that amount.

Nurse Practitioners and Salary Negotiation

You can kind of do your research. You can speak with a contract review attorney such as myself. We’re very familiar with the industry. So, we kind of know the ranges for your salary. But when you’re negotiating your compensation, you do want to consider not just that base number but any type of bonuses, signing bonuses, relocation bonuses, any type of quality assurance or production, and patient encounters. I mean, they really vary. The scale is huge on the extra compensation you can get. You not only want to think about your base salary, but you want to think about it in relation to all those other bonuses that you could potentially be receiving. So, we’ve gone over the non-compete. I feel like that’s the most important when you’re negotiating and then your salary or compensation. Then I would probably go to sort of other benefits.

I would try to negotiate that they’re going to be giving you some type of CME, continuing medical education allowance. Typically, that’s anywhere for nurse practitioners from like 2000 to 4,000. You want to negotiate this amount because this is something you must do annually to keep your license valid. So, your employer should be giving you some type of allowance for this. And then also, I would negotiate any type of licensing fees, dues for professional organizations, and for sure your DEA license if you’re able to have one in your state because DEA licenses are expensive, and that price just keeps going up. Those sort of ancillary benefits or business expenses is something that you also want to kind of keep on your radar. Don’t just negotiate your salary, you must think bigger than that.

Another thing, you can look at your without cause termination. That means, you can give notice and then terminate your employment. You normally have to give notice anywhere from 60 to 90 days, that’s standard. However, I have seen in some rural areas or high-need areas, that the notice period is anywhere from 120 to 180 days. That means you give notice, you want out, but you have to stay there for 120 days. So, that’s another thing I would negotiate down to at the very least 90 days because that gives everybody plenty of time to fill your position, especially if there’s some bad blood there, you don’t want to be forced to hang around in a place that you don’t feel comfortable with for such a long time.

There are lots of things you can negotiate in an employment contract. Sometimes the employer will tell you that this is standard for all physicians. But I don’t think it hurts to still ask for what you think you deserve. Especially non-competes, don’t forget about your non-competes, your compensation, and don’t just think about that base salary, you have to think about your bonuses as well. And then business expense reimbursement, and then just sort of benefits, but normally, benefits are non-negotiable because they are standard. It’s just, these are the benefits, health insurance, disability, and life insurance. And that is normally standard that I would say is probably not negotiable, but everything else you want to take into consideration together.

Considerations to Make About Your Nurse Practitioner Employment Contracts

Newly minted nurses who have completed their education and received their certification to practice nursing are justifiably excited about the opportunity to finally work in the career field that they have been training for their entire life. When they receive their first job offer, they are over the moon. Caution is advised in these moments though. The contracts that nurses receive to begin work at a specific facility are very detailed, and it is smart to keep a level head about things in order to put yourself in the best possible position as far as contract negotiations are concerned. 

There are several factors that every nurse should look over when they are handed their contract and asked to sign. They may even consider hiring a nurse practitioner contract attorney to review their paperwork with them to ensure that everything seems correct. 

Salary

Everyone goes to work to earn money, it is as plain and simple as that. Yes, nurses also often find great satisfaction in the work that they do, but they will still tell you that they wouldn’t do this work if there were no money involved. No one can blame a nurse for wanting to make a living for themselves. 

Nurse.org gives the statistics about what a nurse may expect to make: 

In addition to being professionally and emotionally gratifying, becoming a nurse practitioner provides the security of knowing you’ve chosen a career that has tremendous job security and is also financially rewarding. The average nurse practitioner salary is $111,680 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as of May 2020.

Not every nurse makes that much annually. That figure is an average, and that average includes nurses with many decades of experience. It also includes nurses who work in many different states with the various salary expectations that come in those states. Clearly, there will always be some variation from state to state and even based on the experience level of the nurse. However, this gives you some idea about how much a given nurse can demand as her salary. 

A Lawyer Will be Happy to Help with your NP Contract

We have plenty of experienced lawyers who will be happy to help you through the entire contract process that you are working through at this time. They specialize in these types of contracts (and independent contractor agreements), and they will make sure of the following: 

• Your contract is written in a way that abides by all local, state, and federal laws
• You have the benefits that you desire from your contract
• There are no hidden clauses or stipulations that you need to be aware of 
• Your malpractice insurance and tail costs are taken care of

Essentially, our lawyers will stand by you and be your biggest advocate in this whole process. We only need to be compensated for the time that it takes to read and go over your contract. If you will contact us today, we can start to look over the critical elements that make up your contract for you. We know that you want to get started on your new job as soon as possible, and we want that for you as well. Just give us the chance to make sure everything is tied up nicely for you before you do so. 

Nurse Practitioner Benefits | Fighting for What You Deserve

Everyone knows that nurses provide a vital service to the healthcare system that we cannot do without. Given the heroic and vital nature of their work, it is reasonable that many nurses would like to see compensation and benefits that correspond with the type of work that they do. 

Today, we want to look at some of the benefits that many nurse practitioners receive, how one can insist upon receiving those benefits, and why there is a strong case to be made for hiring a nurse practitioner contract attorney to go over your contract with you. 

What Kind of Benefits Do Nurse Practitioners Receive? 

When surveyed, nurse practitioners listed the benefits that they receive from their employers. Their answers came in like this:

• Paid vacation time (77.2%)
• Professional liability insurance (72.4%)
• Health insurance (70.7%)
• Retirement plans (69.4%)
• Reimbursement for licensing/certification (53.2%)

Each of these benefits must clearly be very important to have been granted to more than half of all nurses surveyed. That leads one to the reasonable assumption that they should at least fight for each of these benefits in their employment or independent contractor agreement as well. 

Paid Vacation Time

No person can work all the time without a break. Pushing people to do more and more work is not only potentially unethical, it is unproductive in the long run. Humans only have so much capacity for work, and when they are pushed beyond their natural limits, it is understandable that they become worn out and not nearly as productive as they would normally be. Thus, paid vacation time is a great way to allow nurses to take a break from their job for some time without missing out on a paycheck. With more than three-quarters of all surveyed nurses saying they receive this benefit, it is clearly one to insist upon. 

Professional Liability Insurance

Most professions do not necessarily require liability insurance. Then again, most professionals don’t ask a worker to put the life of another person in their hands and take care of them. Nurses understand the pressure of a single mistake that they make potentially leading to tragic results. Thus, it is necessary to think about asking for professional liability insurance to help protect your assets, reputation, and career in the event of a lawsuit. 

Health Insurance

The United States healthcare system is set up in such a way that the vast majority of people receive their health insurance through their employers. Love it or hate it, that is how the system works. With that in mind, nurses are wise to seek health insurance coverage from their employers. The danger of not having coverage if an emergency should occur is too big of a risk to take. 

Retirement Plans

Retirement is not as far away as we might think. It is necessary to start investing and preparing for the future right now so you don’t miss out on your chance to enjoy the kind of retirement that you have worked so hard to reach for. Employers can and should offer retirement products to their employees that are quality plans with well-defined investment strategies. 

Reimbursement for Licensing/Certification

Nurses have to renew their certifications after a set period of time. This is a requirement because everyone wants nurses to be up to date on the latest knowledge of procedures. It is necessary to ensure that all nurses are still advancing and learning about various techniques in their field. It costs some money to get recertified as a nurse, and that is why nurses are wise to ask their employer to cover at least some of the cost of this certification. After all, the employer is ultimately who will benefit from the nurse getting those certifications renewed. 

How Can You Fight For More? 

There are almost always ways that nurses can fight for more on their contracts than what they are initially offered. It is important that they know a few basics about how to get the most out of the process. 

• Negotiation is expected – The first thing that a nurse needs to understand is that a negotiation period is expected. Many are bullied into thinking that they must either sign the first contract that they are given or else risk not getting the job. That is simply not how this works though. As it turns out, hospitals are so in need of nurses that they expect to have to negotiate in order to get the nursing talent that they need. Thus, they come fully prepared to negotiate with you. Don’t give up before the fight has been had. 
• Know the law – Some states require nurses be provided certain benefits. If you know the laws in your area, you stand a much better chance of standing up for yourself and the benefits that you are entitled to under the law. It is also important to think about potential non compete implications after the contract is terminated.
• Think about the value of each benefit – Not all benefits are created equal, and some are more important to certain people than others. You should have an idea about which benefits are most important to you before you ever go into the negotiating room. You need to have this information at the ready because you will need to make some choices right then and there about which benefits you will fight for, and which benefits are not as important to you. Think about what you are being offered and decide if it is truly enough to sign the contract.

Why it Makes Sense to Hire a Lawyer

Hiring a lawyer isn’t just for defending yourself against accusations and charges. Rather, hiring a lawyer for contact negotiating purposes may be one of the savviest financial moves that you can make. When you contact us we can get you set up with one of our professional nurse practitioner contract lawyers to go over the initial steps necessary to ensure that you are receiving everything you need from your contract.

The review of your contract should take just a few hours, with a single, fixed contract review cost, but the value-added of having a lawyer look it over is enormous. Do not let yourself get tricked into signing something that is less than desirable. Let our team help keep you safe from that possibility.