A Descriptive Summary of the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Workforce in the United States: Targeted Findings From the 2022 National Nursing Workforce Survey

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified long-standing issues of burnout and stress among the U.S. nursing workforce, including advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs). Understanding how these issues inform APRNs’ intent to leave and the possible implications for workforce modeling is imperative to fostering a more sustainable and safer U.S. nursing workforce.

Purpose

To identify the personal and professional characteristics of APRNs experiencing heightened workplace burnout and stress.

Methods

The National Council of State Boards of Nursing’s 2022 National Nursing Workforce Survey data were used for analysis. Binary logistic regression and natural language processing were used to determine the significance of observed trends and to develop a better understanding of possible drivers.

Results

A weighted total of 522,425 APRNs (11.8% of the RN workforce) are represented in this analysis. Certified nurse practitioners accounted for the bulk of the workforce (71.1%), followed by clinical nurse specialists (16.8%), certified registered nurse anesthetists (9.1%), and certified nurse midwives (3.0%). Half the sample (55.4%) reported an increase in their workload during the pandemic, and similarly high proportions reported some form of emotional distress at least a few times per week.

Conclusion

Acute experiences of stress and burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic have been felt disproportionately by younger, less experienced APRNs. However, perhaps equally concerning is the potential loss of the diverse educational training and skill sets of a generation of more experienced APRNs. To ensure current models of care remain fit for the future, policymakers, nursing leaders, employers, and educators must be intentional in how they recruit, train, and support the current and future APRN workforce.