How many nurses will NC have in the future? How many nurses will NC need in the future? How does supply and demand of nurses look in different regions of NC and practice settings? Check the nursecast!
How to Cite
NC Nursecast is an interactive, web-based tool that forecasts the future supply and demand for Registered Nurses (RNs) and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) in various practice settings in North Carolina. The tool draws on historical data from the NC Board of Nursing/Health Professions Data System, population data from the NC Office of Budget and Analysis, and expert input from an advisory committee to provide baseline estimates of how many nurses NC will have and how many nurses will be demanded in NC by region and by setting. The model also provides alternative scenarios to explore the potential outcome if nurses leave practice earlier than expected, if more students graduate from nursing programs, or if fewer nurses come to NC from out of state.
If you’d like to learn more about how to use the model, you can look at our brief written guide or watch the video below.
Otherwise, scroll down to the boxes below and select whether you’d like to see supply and demand together (as a % or an absolute number), or supply separately, or demand separately. From there the toolbar on the left-hand side of the screen offers you options regarding what you would like to see forecast in the model.
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Supply - Demand
Will there be a shortage or surplus?
% Surplus or Shortage
What is the relative shortage or surplus?
Supply
How many nurses are projected in the future?
Demand
What will be the demand for services?
If you are using the line chart option, you can display multiple lines at once to compare. Just change your options and select Show again. To remove a line, hit the X button in the top left of its corresponding box. Once you have displayed the projections* in which you are interested, you can download the image (as a .png) or the data (as a .csv file).
Please note: the model won’t allow you to display the projections for specific education categories combined with specific settings at the same time. For instance, the projection for RN, with BS for education, and hospital for setting is not available. This is because the numbers are small.
By clicking on these boxes in the visualization, you can compare supply and demand directly and see shortages or surpluses as a percentage or numerical difference. Or you can view supply or demand separately.
You can view the projections as either a line chart, comparing multiple projections over time across settings, geographies, and other parameters. Or you can view the projections in a map, comparing across a set of geographies (like AHEC regions.)
Use the radio buttons or dropdowns to select parameters for the projection you want to view. Select a to learn more about each option. Select Show to display the line chart or map for your selections. Note that some combinations of selections are not possible.
Want to learn about the future supply and demand of our state's licensed practical nurses and registered nurses across settings and geographic regions?
See projectionsWant to see how different North Carolina nursing programs impact the distribution of health professionals in their area and across the state?
Examine graduate diffusionWhat are the main takeaways from the nursecast projections? In what regions and settings will nurses be in shortage?
Read key findings