2013-14 National Nurse Practitioner Practice Site Census

AUSTIN, Texas, March 24, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) today released data from the 2013-14 National Nurse Practitioner Practice Site Census that demonstrates the nurse practitioner (NP) workforce remains committed to providing primary care.  The National Nurse Practitioner Practice Site Census has been conducted every two to three years since 2002 to provide a current and essential characterization of the NP workforce.  Nearly 40,000 NPs participated in the 2013-14 census. 

A shortfall and disproportionate distribution of primary care practitioners currently exists in the United States, but NPs are doing their part to fill the gaps.  Results from the census indicate that the vast majority (86%) of NPs are prepared in areas of primary care and in the last decade, the majority of growth within the NP workforce has been among family NPs; increasing from 41.9% of the workforce in 2003, to 54.5% by 2013-14. NPs continue to work in all settings where primary care services are delivered.  Private physician practices, hospital outpatient clinics and community based primary care settings are among the top five settings where nurse practitioners work and employ nearly half of the workforce. 

"The 2013-14 National NP Practice Site Census also demonstrates that the NP workforce has made improvements in diversity with respect to race/ethnicity, gender and age over the last decade," said AANP president Ken Miller, PhD, RN, CFNP, FAAN, FAANP.

NPs provide patients with high quality, comprehensive, patient-centered primary, acute and specialty health care services. In addition to diagnosing and managing acute episodic and chronic illness, NPs also focus on health promotion, disease prevention, health education and counseling, guiding patients to make smarter health and lifestyle choices. Among their many services, NPs order, perform and interpret diagnostic tests such as lab work and x-rays; diagnose and treat acute and chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, infections and injuries; prescribe medications and other treatment; and manage a patient's care.

The 2013-14 National NP Practice Site Census Report is available here.

The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) is the largest professional membership organization for nurse practitioners (NPs) of all specialties. It represents the interests of more than 205,000 NPs, including approximately 56,000 individual members and 200 organizations, providing a unified networking platform and advocating for their role as providers of high-quality, cost-effective, comprehensive, patient-centered and personalized health care. The organization provides legislative leadership at the local, state and national levels, advancing health policy; promoting excellence in practice, education and research; and establishing standards that best serve NP patients and other health care consumers.  For more information, visit aanp.org. To locate a nurse practitioner in your area, visit npfinder.com.

SOURCE American Association of Nurse Practitioners

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