RNs getting older and greater.

The average age of licensed RNs continued to increase, even though the number of RNs grew by almost 8% between 2000 and 2004, according to a Health Resources and Services Administration press release. The report The Registered Nurse Population: Findings from the March 2004 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses found that between 2000 and 2004, the RN work force grew to 2.9 million, and the average age reached 46.8 years in 2004, compared to 45.2 years in 2000 and 42.3 years in 1996.

As of March 2004, there were 2,421,460 employed RNs, and only 26.6% of them were under age 40. The survey indicated that more nurses are moving away from hospital settings, whereas those who called nursing homes their primary setting remained relatively constant. In 2000, 6.9% of the total nursing work force was employed at nursing homes, and in 2004 the percentage dropped to 6.3%, according to the report.