The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) has released new data revealing that more than 248,000 nurse practitioners (NPs) are currently licensed to practice in the United States, a significant increase from the estimated 120,000 in 2007.

The latest AANP annual survey also showed that nearly three-quarters (74.1%) of the NP workforce worked full-time, and that NPs work in a variety of settings, including private practice (25.5%), hospital outpatient clinics (12.8%), inpatient hospital units (10.3%) and emergency rooms/urgent care (5.9%).

According to AANP President Joyce Knestrick, PhD, APRN, CFNP, FAANP:

Provider shortages, especially in primary care, have become a growing concern, but the growth of the NP profession is addressing that concern head-on. Couple that with news that NPs conducted an estimated 1.02 billion patient visits last year alone, and it’s easy to see why millions of Americans are making NPs their providers of choice.

While nursing has long been a profession dominated by women, the recent 24/7 Wall St. analysis of jobs that have become dominated by women lately had pharmacists and veterinarians land in the number three and number one spots, respectively:

3. Pharmacists
> 16 yr. change in share of women: 15.5 ppt.
> 2016 female workers: 117,126 (54.6% of total)
> 2000 female workers: 57,610 (39.1% of total)
> Median earnings: $120,878

Since 2000, the number of women working as pharmacists roughly doubled from 57,610 to 117,126. Less than two decades ago, fewer than 40% of pharmacists were women. As of 2016, over half of all pharmacists in the United States were female. … Not only are pharmacists highly compensated, but also the occupation’s gender wage gap is nearly non-existent. …

1. Veterinarians
> 16 yr. change in share of women: 25.1 ppt.
> 2016 female workers: 38,885 (59.1% of total)
> 2000 female workers: 15,140 (34.0% of total)
> Median earnings: $90,063

No job has become dominated by women faster than veterinarians. The number of women employed as veterinarians has more than doubled since 2000, resulting in a 25 percentage point increase in the share of female vets. … The rising share of female animal doctors mirrors the longstanding trend of women entering science and engineering occupations at higher rates.

Pharmacists topped the list of highest paying jobs in 2017 in a separate 24/7 Wall St. report. Yet. licensed practical nurse ended up on the list of lowest paying jobs, along with pharmacy technician, certified nursing assistant, emergency medical technician and medical assistant.

Specifically, the analysis showed:

1. Pharmacist
> National median base pay: $127,682
> Highest median pay: $141,217 in San Francisco
> Lowest median pay: $115,299 in Houston
> YoY wage growth: 0.9%
> Employment outlook (2016-2026): 6%

22. Licensed practical nurse
> National median base pay: $41,668
> Highest median pay: $55,304 in San Francisco
> Lowest median pay: $43,109 in Atlanta
> YoY wage growth: 2.4%
> Employment outlook (2016-2026): 12%

See the 24/7 Wall St. reports on the jobs dominated by women and the highest and lowest paying jobs for the full lists, as well as the methodology of each.

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