What’s Driving the Growing Demand for Nurse Practitioners?

According to research carried out by healthcare recruiter Merritt Hawkins, the nurse practitioner role was ranking in the top ten most recruited medical field positions for 2013 - which was the first time the profession made the firm's top twenty list. And since then, the nurse practitioner profession has met and even exceeded expectations to reach a 30% growth rate between 2010 and 20202; significantly faster than growth in primary care physicians which was projected at the time to be just 8% over the same timeframe.

So, what exactly is driving this demand for nurse practitioners?

Changing Demographics

According to a report by the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMCO) in 2015, the US population is expected to grow around ten percent by 2025. And, the greatest level of growth will be seen in the senior demographic which is expected to grow by over 45%. On the other hand, the number of people aged under eighteen is only expected to grow by 5% in the same timeframe. Given that the senior age demographic tends to use healthcare services at a higher rate compared to others, it's no surprise that this has driven a higher demand for skilled, specialized healthcare professionals.

The IMS Institute for Health Informatics carried out an analysis that suggested that the increasing need for specialist visits for chronic health conditions, which tends to be highest amongst older patients, increased by almost 5% between 2012 and 2013. And with this significant growth prediction in older patients, we can expect the demand for specialist healthcare, often provided and facilitated by nurse practitioners, to increase even further.

Physician Shortages

In addition to the increasing demand for medical professionals, the U.S...