Work Environment
Nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners held about 271,900 jobs in 2020. Employment in the detailed occupations that make up nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners was distributed as follows:
- Nurse practitioners - 220,300
- Nurse anesthetists - 44,200
- Nurse midwives - 7,300
The largest employers of nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners were as follows:
- Offices of physicians - 47%
- Hospitals; state, local, and private - 26%
- Outpatient care centers - 8%
- Educational services; state, local, and private - 4%
- Offices of other health practitioners - 3%
Some advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) provide care in patients’ homes. Some nurse midwives work in birthing centers, which are a type of outpatient care center.
APRNs may travel long distances to help care for patients in places where there are not enough healthcare workers.
Injuries and Illnesses
APRN work can be both physically and emotionally demanding. Some APRNs spend much of their day on their feet. They are vulnerable to back injuries because they must lift and move patients. APRN work can also be stressful because they make critical decisions that affect a patient’s health.
Because of the environments in which they work, APRNs may come in close contact with infectious diseases. Therefore, they must follow strict guidelines to guard against diseases and other dangers, such as accidental needle sticks or patient outbursts.
Work Schedules
Most APRNs work full time. In physicians’ offices, APRNs typically work during normal business hours. In hospitals and other healthcare facilities, they may work in shifts—including nights, weekends, and holidays—to provide round-the-clock patient care. Some APRNs, especially those who work in critical care or those who deliver babies, also may need to be on call.
Job Outlook
Overall employment of nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners is projected to grow 45 percent from 2020 to 2030, much faster than the average for all occupations.
About 29,400 openings for nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Employment
Growth will occur because of an increase in the demand for healthcare services. Several factors will contribute to this demand, including an increased emphasis on preventive care and demand for healthcare services from the aging population.
Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) perform many of the same services as physicians. APRNs will be increasingly used in team-based models of care, particularly in hospitals, offices of physicians, clinics, and other ambulatory care settings, where they will be needed to provide preventive and primary care.
APRNs will also be needed to care for the large baby-boom population. As baby boomers age, they will experience ailments and complex conditions that require medical care. APRNs will be needed to keep these patients healthy and to treat the growing number of patients with chronic and acute conditions.
As states change their laws governing APRN practice authority, APRNs are being allowed to perform more services. APRNs also are being recognized more widely by the public as a source for primary healthcare.
Earnings
The median annual wage for nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners was $123,780 in May 2021. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $79,870, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $200,540.
Median annual wages for nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners in May 2021 were as follows:
- Nurse anesthetists - $195,610
- Nurse practitioners - $120,680
- Nurse midwives - $112,830
In May 2021, the median annual wages for nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
- Hospitals; state, local, and private - $128,190
- Outpatient care centers - $128,190
- Offices of physicians - $121,280
- Offices of other health practitioners - $104,790
- Educational services; state, local, and private - $102,680
Most advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) work full time. In physicians’ offices, APRNs typically work during normal business hours. In hospitals and other healthcare facilities, they may work in shifts—including nights, weekends, and holidays—to provide round-the-clock patient care. Some APRNs, especially those who work in critical care or those who deliver babies, also may need to be on call.
