Nursing Statistics

Health Human Resource planners understand how important it is to work with complete and accurate data. Data systems designed to capture the full supply picture are especially important today.

In Canada we are fortunate to have access to national, longitudinal nursing data such as the Registered Nurses Database (RNDB). This database contains supply and distribution information for the registered nursing workforce in Canada from 1980 to the present and is managed by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI).

CNA combines many data elements to support meaningful conclusions:

• Demographics and education
• Supply potential (e.g., supply, demand, loss, shortages, migration)
• Raw number of nurses (the “stock”)
• Participation rates (i.e., the number of nurses employed in nursing)
• Workplace factors (e.g., place of work, employment status)

Nursing Education Data

Registered nurses (RNs) are the backbone of the health-care system. Ensuring an adequate supply of RNs is critical to that system’s smooth functioning. The annual output of entry-to-practice nursing education programs (programs entitling successful graduates to apply for RN licensure) is the principal source of new additions to the Canadian RN workforce.

In collaboration with the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (CASN), CNA collects student and faculty data annually from Canadian schools of nursing. The survey results provide data related to entry-to-practice programs in Canada.

The data from this survey supports accurate projections of the number of graduates eligible to enter the nursing workforce, details the number of nurses obtaining graduate and post graduate qualifications and provides important faculty demographic information.