Growth by the Numbers: A Statistical Look at the Rising Use of NPs and PAs

Nurse Practitioners

PROJECTED: In 2013, Health and Human Services (HHS) projected that the current 57,000 licensed NPs in the U.S. would trend to 110,500 by 2025.

REALITY:

240,000 
Licensed NPs in 2018

31%
Rate of cumulative growth to 2026, as predicted by Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

1.9%
Percentage of APPs that have been named as primary defendant in an MPL case (rates remain low)



Physician Assistants

PROJECTED: In 2013, HHS projected that the then-current 33,000 licensed PAs in the U.S. would trend to 59,000 by 2025.

REALITY:

166,000
Licensed PAs in 2017

37%
Rate of cumulative growth to 2026, as predicted by Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

 


Source: American Association of Nurse Practitioners, Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Labor Statistics