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The Health
Resources and Services Administration,
Bureau off Health Professions, Division
of Nursing is the key Federal focus of
information regarding nursing education
and practice in the U.S. It provides national
leadership to assure an adequate supply
and distribution of qualified nursing
personnel to meet the health needs of
the nation. In support of this responsibility,
the Division maintains comprehensive data
and analysis of current and future nursing
personnel resources and requirements.
The acquisition and the presentation of
data on the registered nurse population
and its characteristics are an essential
part of the Division’s program.
The National
Sample Survey of Registered nurses is
the Nation’s most extensive and comprehensive
source of statistics on all those with
active licenses to practice in the United
States whether or not they are employed
in nursing. It provides information on
the number of registered nurses, their
educational background and specialty areas;
their employment settings, position levels,
and salaries; their geographic distribution;
their personal characteristics including
gender, racial/ethnic background, age,
family status, and, in this study, satisfaction
with their job.
The development
of a design for collecting data through
national sample surveys of registered
nurses originated in July 1975 in a contract
with Westat, Inc. Subsequently, the Division
of Nursing conducted seven national sample
surveys. Reports for six studies, those
conducted in September 1977, November
1980 and 1984, and March 1988, 1992, and
1996, have been published and made available
to those involved in health care planning
and evaluation as well as to the public.
This publication is the report of the
seventh study, conducted in March 2000.
The data
collection for this study was carried
out by Research Triangle Institute through
a contract. The report was authored by
Ms. Ernell Spratley, Dr. Ayah Johnson,
Dr. Julie Sochalski, and Mr. Marshall
Fritz. Mr. William Spencer programmed
and summarized the data into tables. Ms.
Lisa Gentry formatted the report for printing.
Ms. Dena Saunders provided secretarial
assistance and Ms. Carol Jordan provided
editorial services. The Division of Nursing
is pleased to make this important information
on the nation’s registered nurse resources
available through the report.
Ernell
Spratley
Ayah Johnson, Ph.D.
Julie Sochalski, Ph.D.
Marshall Fritz, M.S.
William Spencer |
