Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services
Vol. 47 No. 5 May 2009
By Nancy P. Hanrahan, PhD, RN
ABSTRACT
A shortage of RNs is a problem that has reached crisis levels in the United
States and many other countries. The inadequate supply of RNs translates into
limited access for individuals who need health care. The U.S.
psychiatric-mental health RN (PMH RN) workforce is virtually unstudied. The
purposes of this article are to present a nationally representative
demographic, education, and employment profile of PMH RNs, analyze issues
associated with the supply of PMH RNs, and discuss options for building the PMH
RN workforce.
AUTHOR
Dr. Hanrahan is Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, Center for Health
Outcomes and Policy Research, and Senior Fellow, Leonard Davis Institute of
Economics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The author discloses that she has no significant financial interests in any
product or class of products discussed directly or indirectly in this activity.
This project was supported by a research fellowship from the National Institute
of Nursing Research, National Institutes of Health (T32NR7104).
The author thanks Gail Stuart, PhD, RN, for her review and comments. In
addition, Sue Strzelczyk, a nursing student at the University of Pennsylvania,
School of Nursing, did an outstanding job editing the manuscript.
Address correspondence to Nancy P. Hanrahan, PhD, RN, Assistant Professor,
School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Claire Fagin Hall #384, 418
Curie Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19104-4217; e-mail:
nancyp@nursing.upenn.edu.
doi:10.9999/02793695-20090331-01
