New Entry and the Rate of Return to Education: The Case of Registered Nurses

In the 1970s, the percentage of high school graduates completing RN training increased with little change in the rate of return to training. During the 1980s, this percentage declined, despite large increases in the rate of return. The national data employed here examine long-run trends (with emphasis on the 1970s and 1980s) in financial incentives and entry into the nursing profession and suggest that broader professional career opportunities in the 1980s exerted a large impact vis-à-vis the 1970s, among other factors. Rates of return remain high in the 1990s with modest signs of the market stabilizing. Successful policies to ensure stability in health care service delivery must incorporate these varying trends in the RN market.