Present and Future Supply of Registered Nurses.

During the 1960's, nursing education shifted dramatically away from hospital-operated diploma schools toward associate degree and baccalaureate programs. This report examines the nature of this shift in training and its anticipated impact on future supply. Other important factors affecting the future supply of nurses are analyzed, including the relative economic attractiveness of nursing compared with other professions, the proportions of female high school graduates entering and completing nurse training, and the proportion of trained nurses who are not working as nurses. A labor supply function is derived, permitting projections of labor supply and labor force participation of nurses through the 1970's. These projections are compared with the expected demand for nurses. (BH)