The population of licensed nurse practitioners in the U.S. is increasing amid the nation's ongoing primary care physician shortage, according to new data from the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.
AANP estimates more than 270,000 nurse practitioners are licensed to practice in the U.S. as of January. This figure marks a large increase from the estimated 248,000 NPs licensed to practice as of March 2018.
"NPs are the providers of choice for millions of patients," AANP President Joyce Knestrick, PhD, said in a press release. "Current provider shortages, especially in primary care, are a growing concern, yet the growth of the NP role is addressing that concern head-on. The faith patients have in NP-provided healthcare is evidenced by the estimated 1.06 billion patient visits made to NPs in 2018."
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