The Nebraska Health Workforce: Highlights from the Health Workforce Profile

State Health Workforce Profiles Highlights Nebraska

Printer-friendly Nebraska Highlights (PDF - 41 KB)

• There were over 83,000 workers employed in the health sector in Nebraska in 2000, 9.4% of the state’s total workforce. Nebraska ranked 6th among the states in per capita health services employment.
• Health services employment in Nebraska grew 43% between 1988 and 2000, while the state’s population grew by only 9 %, resulting in a net per capita growth of 31% in health services sector employment. This exceeded the national rate of net per capita growth in the health services sector of 21%.
• The total population of Nebraska is projected to grow 10% between 2000 and 2020, while the population 65 and over is projected to grow 52% between 2000 and 2020.
• In 1999, Nebraska was below the national rates of death due to cancer, firearms and heart disease.
• There were low incidences of TB and reported AIDS cases.
• In 2000, Nebraska ranked 4th in the country in the number of hospital beds per 100,000 population.

Highlights of the findings about the health workforce in Nebraska are presented below. Medicine

• There were more than 2,900 active patient care physicians in Nebraska in 2000. With 171 physicians per 100,000 population, Nebraska was lower than the national ratio of 198 physicians per 100,000. Nebraska ranked 34th among states in physicians per capita.
• Nebraska had 62 active primary care physicians per 100,000 population in 2000, lower than the rate of 69 per 100,000 for the entire country.
• Medical schools in Nebraska graduated 228 new physicians in 1999-00. Nebraska ranked 22n d among the 46 states with medical schools in number of medical school graduates. On a per capita basis, Nebraska graduated more than twice the number of new physicians per 100,000 population (13.5) than did the entire United States (6.4) and ranked 3rd among the 46 states with medical schools in medical school graduates per capita.
• There were 356 physician assistants practicing in Nebraska in 2000. This is equal to 20.8 physician assistants per 100,000 population, higher than the national rate of 14.4.

Nursing

• There were 18,550 licensed registered nurses (RNs) in Nebraska in 2000; nearly 16,400 were employed in nursing. There were 957.1 RNs per 100,000 population in Nebraska in 2000, more than the national rate of 780.2.
• In 2000, Nebraska ranked 6th among the states in the per capita employment of Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurses (LPNs), with 363.6 LPNs per 100,000 population as compared to the national rate of 240.8 per 100,000. Nebraska ranked 33rd in the number of LPNs employed in 2000 with 6,230 workers.
• There were nearly 310 nurse practitioners in Nebraska in 2000. This was equal to 18.1 nurse practitioners per 100,000 population, less than the national rate of 33.7. Nebraska had one of the lowest ratios of nurse practitioners per capita in the nation.
• With 22 certified nurse midwives in 2000, Nebraska had 1.3 certified nurse midwife per 100,000 population, lower than the national rate of 2.9. Nebraska ranked 43rd among states in certified nurse midwives per capita.
• With 228 certified registered nurse anesthetists in 2003, Nebraska had 13.3 nurse anesthetists per 100,000 population, higher than the national rate of 9.3.

Dentistry, Pharmacy and Mental Health

• There were 1,266 dentists, 720 dental hygienists, and 1,540 dental assistants practicing in Nebraska in 2000. There were 73.9 dentists per 100,000 population in Nebraska in 2000, higher than the national rate of 63.6. The per capita ratio of dental hygienists was lower than the national rate.
• The number of dentists in Nebraska increased 37% between 1991 and 2000 while the state’s population grew 8%. The result was a 27% increase in dentists per capita compared to a 16% increase nationwide.
• There were 1,740 pharmacists and 1,310 pharmacy technicians and aides practicing in Nebraska in 2000. Nebraska had 101.6 pharmacists and 76.5 pharmacy technicians and aides per 100,000 population in 2000, which ranked them 2n d and 36th, respectively, among the 50 states.
• There were 142 psychiatrists, 410 psychologists, and 2,950 social workers in Nebraska in 2000. This was equal to 8.6 psychiatrists, 23.9 psychologists, and 172.2 social workers per 100,000 population. Nebraska ranked 35th among states in psychiatrists per capita, 39th among states in psychologists per capita, and 22nd among states in social workers per capita.

Aides

• There were 1,900 home health aides and 10,800 nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants working in Nebraska in 2000. Nebraska had 110.9 home health aides and 630.3 nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants per 100,000 population in 2000, which ranked 39th and 11th, respectively, among the 50 states.