Almost 570,000 RNs work in the Midwest states of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota, which is more than 24% of the RNs in the United States. The Midwest states with the most nurses, according to figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) are Ohio and Illinois, with more than 100,000 each, while North Dakota has the least, with only 6,430.
Salaries in most states in this region are usually a little lower than the national average of $54,210, according to the BLS. The exceptions are the higher salaries in Minnesota and Michigan. However, the cost of living in this region tends to be lower than on either coast.
Nationally, state nursing workforce reports have been published for a number of states, among them Ohio and Michigan. The Ohio report focuses on training nurses. This November 2004 report, Measuring Student Capacity and Faculty Resources in Northeast Ohio Schools of Nursing, found that while northeast Ohio nursing programs have expanded at a "tremendous" rate, there is a growing demand for them to expand further. The most significant barriers to expansion are lack of nursing faculty, as well as classroom space and clinical training sites, a common situation throughout the United States. The state has a keen interest in nursing education since eight out of 10 nursing students remain in Ohio.
A Michigan report, the Michigan Center for Nursing: Survey of Nurses 2004, focuses on numbers. It found that 87% of licensed RNs in that state were active, 83% in direct care, with 72% of the nurses employed 35 or more hours per week. This gives Michigan 908 RNs per 100,000 population. However, the survey found 17% of active RNs are 55 years old or older, and about 31% of all nurses say they plan to practice only one to 10 more years.
Your Guide to Job Opportunities in the Midwest
University of Wisconsin Hospital & Clinics
810 University Bay Drive
Madison, WI 53705
Contact: Nurse Recruiter
(800) 443-6164
Web site: http://www.uwhealth.org/careers
Loyola University Health System
2160 S. First Ave.
Maywood, IL 60153
Contact: Paul Walden, RN, Nurse Recruiter
(708) 216-9402
Fax: (708) 216-4918
Email: [email protected]
Web site: http://www.luhs.org