New data shows increase in registered nurses in 2022

New data released by the Minnesota Board of Nursing on Tuesday shows that the state has added 8,000 new Registered Nurses since 2022, bringing the total number licensed in the state to more than 130,000. According to the Minnesota Board of Nursing, the report shows that there is no shortage of registered nurses in Minnesota. The problem still remains to be retention. This comes as the Keeping Nurses at the Bedside Act makes its way through the State Capitol.  The bill passed in the Senate last week and is expected to come to a vote in the House on Wednesday.
 
“There are more nurses than ever before in Minnesota, but unacceptable working conditions and understaffing by hospital executives are driving nurses away faster than they can hire them,” said Mary C. Turner, RN, MNA President. “We must solve the problem this year to retain experienced nurses at the bedside in Minnesota, support the next generation of nurses, and protect patient care across the state.”
 
In a report issued earlier this year, 2,400 Minnesota nurses were surveyed about why they left hospital bedside jobs. The issues identified chronic under-staffing, hospital management, and other working conditions as the top problems causing nurses to leave hospital jobs or reduce their hours. And according to the report, many nurses indicated that they did not want to leave the bedside and would return if staffing and other working conditions improved.