ASCs are feeling the nurse shortage acutely as they compete with hospitals and health systems for a shrinking pool of RNs and surgical techs, driving up labor costs and straining operations.
“The most significant financial challenge is keeping up with the labor market,” Michael Cournyea, CEO of University at Buffalo (N.Y.) Neurosurgery, told Becker’s. “Most ASCs are competing with hospitals and health systems for RNs and surgical techs, and this is driving up the costs for these positions”
Here are 10 statistics to know:
1. More than 138,000 nurses have left the workforce since 2022, according to an April study from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.
2. Nearly 40% of nurses intend to leave the field by 2029. Of the nurses who reported an intent to leave within the next five years, approximately 41.5% selected stress and burnout as the root cause.
3. Employment levels have rebounded slightly, with 87.7% of RN licensees and 70.6% of LPN/VN licensees now actively employed in nursing.
4. More than 1 million U.S. nurses are expected to retire by 2030, far outpacing the projected number of new nurse graduates, according to a study from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.
5. Between 2024 and 2032, an estimated 18.4 million workers with postsecondary education are expected to retire, according to the report.
6. Only 13.8 million workers are expected to enter the labor market with equivalent education and training. During the same eight-year period, the U.S. economy is projected to add 685,000 jobs requiring postsecondary education and training.
7. Researchers project a shortage through 2032 of 328,100 registered nurses, 42,100 licensed practical nurses and 33,800 nurse practitioners.
8. Globally, the nursing workforce grew from 27.8 million in 2018 to 29.8 million in 2023, according to the World Health Organization, though distribution and density remain highly inequitable.
9. The global nursing workforce is projected to reach 36 million by 2030.
10. The global shortage of nurses is projected to decline from 5.8 million in 2023 to 4.1 million in 2030.
