Office of Rural Health and Primary Care
P.O. Box 64882
St. Paul, MN 55164-0882
651-201-3838
Minnesota’s Registered Nurse Workforce, 2011-2012
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), in cooperation with the Minnesota Board of Nursing, collects
information on education, employment, career and future plans of registered nurses (RNs). Minnesota RNs
complete workforce surveys during the biennial licensing renewal process. Unless noted, all data presented are
based on information collected from RNs (including advanced practice registered nurses) renewing licenses
from 2011 to 2012. i The survey response rate was 62 percent. ii
Overall
As of January 2012, there were 89,573 RNs licensed in Minnesota. Of these, an estimated 75,301 are based in
Minnesota, a five percent increase from the number reported in 2010. iii
Sex, Race and Ethnicity
Licensed RNs were predominately female (92 percent). The male proportion of the RN workforce rose from 7.1
percent in 2007-2008 to 7.6 percent in 2009-2010, a 6 percent increase.
Most RNs identified their race as White (94 percent). Only 6 percent of RNs identified themselves as Black or
African American, Native American, Asian or multiracial. One percent identified their ethnicity as Hispanic.
Minnesota’s RN workforce has become more diverse over the last 10 years, with the greatest increases among
Black and Asian RNs (Graph A).
Graph A
Non-White Registered Nurses by Year of First License
Minnesota 2011-2012
140
120
80
60
40
20
0
1945
1948
1950
1952
1954
1956
1958
1960
1962
1964
1966
1968
1970
1972
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
Number of RNs
100
Year of First License
Am. Indian
Asian
Black/African American
Multiple races
Other
Hispanic*
*Hispanic origin is asked separately from race, so individuals identifying as Hispanic can be of any race.
Minnesota’s Registered Nurse Work Force 2011-2012 – Page 2
Age Range
The median age of RNs in Minnesota was 47, a decline from the median age of 48 reported in 2009-2010. While
the percentage of RNs age 65 and older remained the same from 2009-2010 to 2011-2012, RNs under 35 years
increased by 21 percent.
Training and Education
At the time of initial licensure, most Minnesota RNs held an associate degree (46 percent), 37 percent held a
bachelor’s degree, 12 percent held a certificate or diploma, and 4 percent held a master’s degree or higher.
Among RNs who responded to the survey question about additional education, only 24 percent said they went on
to earn an additional nursing degree after first becoming licensed as an RN, raising the proportion of RNs with a
bachelor’s degree to 40 percent, and RNs with a master’s or higher to 11 percent (Graph B).
Graph B
Registered Nurses by Degree (n=40,532), Minnesota 2011-2012
1%
10%
Diploma*
10%
Associate
Bachelor's
39%
40%
Master's
Doctorate
*The diploma in nursing is a course of study, usually in a hospital-based setting.
Overall, 83 percent of RNs received nursing education in Minnesota. More RNs with an associate degree
graduated from a program in Minnesota (87 percent) compared to those with a bachelor’s (65 percent) (Graph C).
Graph C
Registered Nurses by Degree and Program Location (n=43,453), Minnesota 2011-2012
87%
84%
77%
72%
65%
35%
28%
13%
Associate
Bachelor' s
Post-baccelaureate
Non-Minnesota Program
Page 2
23%
16%
Master's
Doctorate
Minnesota Program
April 2014
Minnesota’s Registered Nurse Work Force 2011-2012 – Page 3
Statewide data of nursing program graduates from 2010 to 2012 shows an increased number of bachelor’s and
doctorate degrees while nurses graduating with an associates or master’s degrees declined (Graph D).
Graph D
Number of Nurse Graduates by Degree from Minnesota Academic Institutions, 2010-2012
2,028
1,936
1,930
1,529
1,368
448
82
1,744
408
404
29
66
42
24
2010
59
20
77
12
2012
2011
Associate Degree
Bachelor's Degree
Post-baccalaureate Certificate
Master's Degree
Doctor's Degree - professional practice
Doctor's Degree - research/scholarship/other
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Data System (IPEDS), 2014
Geographic Distribution
Based on mailing addresses, geographic distribution of RNs scarcely changed since 2009-2010, with isolated
areas increasing from 7 percent in 2009-2010 to 8 percent in 2011-2012. Overall, for every RN located in a rural
area, there were at least three RNs located in an urban area of the state (Graph E), a distribution that remained
unchanged since 2009-2010. iv
Graph E
Geographic Distribution of Registered Nurses, Minnesota 2009-2010 (N=71,621) and 2011-2012 (N=75,301)
75%
75%
12%
6%
7%
2009-2010
Urban
12%
6%
8%
2011-2012
Large Rural
Small Rural
Isolated
Note: Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding.
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April 2014
Minnesota’s Registered Nurse Work Force 2011-2012 – Page 4
Work Status and Future Plans
The majority (87 percent) of nurses worked in a paid position as a RN, while four percent of RNs were employed
in other fields. Six percent of RNs reported being unemployed. Three percent were not working either because of
medical or family reasons, or were retired.
Among RNs who had future plans to stay in the workforce, 63 percent said they plan to stay more than 10 years.
Only 19 percent of RNs 34 years and younger planned to stop practicing in 10 years or less, a decline from 23
percent reported in 2009-2010 (Graph F).
Graph F
Registered Nurses’ Future Plans to Practice (n=38,525), Minnesota 2011-2012
24%
81%
77%
88%
76%
19%
34 and younger
94%
23%
12%
35 to 44
6%
45 to 54
10 years or less
55 to 64
65 and older
more than 10 years
Regardless of age, among the 18 percent who planned to leave the RN workforce in five years or less the reasons
were as follows: retirement (77 percent), moving to another state (14 percent), changing jobs (4 percent), and
other unspecified reasons (5 percent).
Primary Work Settings and Activities
RNs reported working an average of 34 hours a week and spent an average of 10 years working at their current
location. Hospitals remain the most frequent place of employment for RNs (56 percent) followed by
clinic/provider offices at 13 percent. Long-term care and home health/public health agencies were the third most
frequent type of work setting at 9 percent each (Graph G).
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Minnesota’s Registered Nurse Work Force 2011-2012 – Page 5
Graph G
Primary Work Settings Among Registered Nurses (n=35,935), Minnesota 2011-2012
2%
1%
4%
Hospital
4%
4%
Clinic/provider office
Long-term care facility
9%
Home health agency/public health
School College University
9%
56%
Insurance Co./Rehab facility
Ambulatory/Surgical Center
13%
Independent Practice
Other
Hospital employment ranked highest for RNs in urban (57 percent), large rural (51 percent), and small and
isolated areas (50 percent) of Minnesota. Clinic/provider offices were the second-most frequent practice setting
for RNs in urban areas (13 percent) and large rural areas (12 percent), while long-term care facilities were second
among RNs in small and isolated rural areas (15 percent). Registered nurses in small and isolated rural areas of
Minnesota were also more likely to work in home health and/or public health agencies (12 percent) compared to
RNs working in urban and large rural areas (7 and 10 percent respectively) (Graph H).
Graph H
Geographic Distribution of Registered Nurses by Primary Practice Setting (n=35,932), Minnesota 2011-2012
57%
51%
50%
13% 12%
Hospital
10%
Clinic
provider
office
15%
11%
6%
3% 5% 3%
Long-term
Home
School
care facility health/public
College
health agency University
Urban
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7%
12%
10%
Large Rural
4%
2% 0%
Insurance
Co/Rehab
agency
1% 0% 0%
Urgent Care
Small & Isolated Rural
April 2014
Minnesota’s Registered Nurse Work Force 2011-2012 – Page 6
Eighty-three percent of RNs who reported practicing in hospitals worked in a single department while 17 percent
said they worked in two and sometimes up to eight different departments. The most common departments were
the medical/surgical unit (33 percent) followed by intensive care (17 percent), operating/recovery (14 percent),
obstetric/gynecologic (12 percent), and the emergency room (12 percent). RNs were least likely to report
practicing in the hospital’s outpatient unit (8 percent) or psychiatric/behavioral department (6.5 percent).
A greater percentage of RNs practicing in rural hospital settings reported working in 3 or more departments
compared to RNs working in urban or large rural hospital settings, where working in a single department was
more common (Graph I).
Graph I
Number of Departments in Which Registered Nurses Work, Minnesota 2011-2012
87%
79%
62%
23%
10%
13%
3%
Urban (n=17,249)
1 department
15%
8%
Large Rural (n=2,478)
2 departments
Small Rural/Isolated
(n=2,845)
3 departments or more
Most RNs reported spending their time providing patient care (60 percent). Supervising patient care was the next
most frequently reported activity (24 percent), followed by teaching/research (14 percent), administration (12
percent), case management (11 percent) and telephone triage (11 percent). On average, an individual RN spent 52
percent of his or her time on the job providing patient care. Among 32,855 RNs who responded to a question
about volunteering, only 11 percent said they volunteered their time providing nursing services in the last 12
months. The average amount of time spent volunteering was 63 hours over a 12 month period. A majority of
RNs who volunteered were also employed (84 percent).
i
Data for this report was compiled using licensing data from the Minnesota Board of Nursing (BON) and the 2011-2012 ORHPC
workforce survey given to registered nurses at the time of their license renewal. Gender, age and geographic location originate from
BON license data and reflect all licensed nurses with mailing addresses in Minnesota. Facts and figures containing race, ethnicity,
education, future plans, employment status, practice site/activities, and hospital departments are drawn from the 2011-2012 registered
nurse survey and reflect only registered nurses who voluntarily completed the survey questions.
ii
This is the overall response rate among RNs with a Minnesota mailing address. Response rates for individual survey questions may
vary. Survey results are subject to self-selection as well as non-response error, and may not be generalizable to the RN population in
Minnesota. This limitation applies only to the MDH survey questions.
iii
License data from the Board of Nursing (BON) includes RNs with active licenses as of 2013 and a mailing address in Minnesota.
iv
Isolated and rural geographic areas of Minnesota are based on the Rural-Urban Commuting Areas (RUCAs) defined by United States
Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service. For more information, go to www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/rural-urbancommuting-area-codes/documentation.aspx.
For more information, contact:
Office of Rural Health and Primary Care
www.health.state.mn.us/divs/orhpc/workforce
651-201-3838
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April 2014