Ongoing Research

The National Nursing Workforce Survey generates information on the supply of nurses in the country, which is critical to workforce planning, and to ensuring a safe and effective health care system. Targeted sub-analyses exploring critical nursing workforce issues are anticipated in 2023.

In 2016, regulators from around the world came to the United States for a landmark regulatory meeting organized by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing called Regulation 2030. Since that time, work has continued on the findings from Regulation 2030. Although significant progress has been achieved, further research is needed to answer many of the questions that will propel regulation into the future. Thus, in March 2021, an international assembly of regulators and nursing leaders virtually gathered to identify these questions and develop an international research agenda via a forum called Envisioning the Future of Nursing Regulation. Guided by the prioritized research questions identified by the forum, which were published in the October 2021 issue of the Journal of Nursing Regulation.NCSBN’s Research Department will pursue a robust international research agenda in 2023 and beyond.

This is a compilation of surveys conducted by NCSBN in collaboration with five BONs between 2021 and 2023. In total, there were 8,453 APRNs who participated in at least one survey. It is designed to determine the interest in and concerns about the current APRN Compact from the viewpoints of APRNs. This information will be used by BONs for evidence-based regulation and to facilitate their legislative efforts.

We are initiating a review of 2017-2023 discipline cases from the NCSBN Nursys database aimed toward identifying trends in discipline three years before and after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 to examine whether there have been changes in disciplinary violations or board actions due to the pandemic. This retrospective longitudinal analysis of discipline data will evaluate risk factors for discipline and recidivism, as well as the efficacy of board disciplinary actions before and after the pandemic period.

A Longitudinal prospective study that builds upon the outcomes of the Alternative to Discipline (ATD)/Monitoring Program Study. Select BONs will adopt the Monitoring Program Guidelines and NCSBN will track participant outcomes. The final results will support, refine, and augment evidence-based guidelines for ATD and monitoring programs to foster uniformity and facilitate nurses’ safe return to practice.