Facts and Figures
The United States population is projected to add 50 million people between 2000
and 2020 (source: U.S. Census Bureau).
There will be a nationwide shortage of 85,000 to 200,000 physicians by 2020 (source:
USA Today, March 2, 2005).
In 2000, the U.S. faced a nursing shortage of 6 percent,
or 110,000 nurses. Future shortages of qualified nursing professionals are expected to reach 29 percent,
or 800,000 nurses, by 2020 (source: Bureau of Health Professionals).
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The Purpose of CPNS
It is widely perceived throughout the healthcare industry that the supply of physicians
and nurses in the United States may be insufficient to meet the growing needs of
patients. The problem is serious and is likely to become critical in the near future.
Based on recent projections, the United States could face a deficit of thousands
of physicians by the year 2020 and a deficit of close to 1 million nurses.
In response to this growing challenge, the Council on Physician and Nurse Supply
(CPNS), an independent, multi-disciplinary national organization of healthcare professionals,
was created to:
- Study trends in nurse and physician supply and demand.
- Identify educational, demographic, clinical, technological, cultural and other factors
that dictate the number of physicians and nurses in the workforce and the number
of healthcare professionals needed.
- Generate data and commentary to provide an informed context for examining U.S. physician
and nurse supply needs.
- Suggest ways to meet projected demands.
"The creation of the Council comes at an important time in the evolution of healthcare,"
said Susan Salka, President and CEO of AMN Healthcare. "The healthcare industry
needs a clear, convincing voice calling for solutions to the growing problem of
physician and nursing shortages. We are pleased to support efforts of some of the
best thinkers in the nation to solve this problem."
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