The number of nursing jobs Arizona (http://nursingjob.abrazohealth.com ^[1]) has to offer should continue to grow in the near future, as more people leave the occupation and a long-standing shortage persists.

The "2011 Survey of Registered Nurses: Job Satisfaction and Career Plans" from AMN Healthcare found that a large number of nurses are planning to find jobs in a different field or switch to part-time hours in the coming years.

There are more than 3.1 million RNs throughout the U.S., making it the nation's largest healthcare position. It's projected that the number of nursing jobs will grow by 22 percent, or 581,500 workers, by 2018.

Although the economic downturn slowed nurse hiring somewhat, there are still tens of thousands of jobs being created ^[2]. And we can still expect to see a nursing shortage - possibly up to 260,000 RNs - by 2025.

Here are some key findings of the survey:

• 24 percent of nurses plan to find a new place of employment, up from 15 percent last year.
• RNs are more likely to work at a hospital than any other healthcare institution.
• 32 percent of nurses plan to work fewer hours, find a non-nursing job, or retire in the next one to three years, an increase from 26 percent in 2010.
• 8 percent of RNs returned to nursing because of the economy, up from 3 percent last year.
• Only 7 percent of nurses are very confident that healthcare reform will create more jobs.
• 43 percent of nurses would not recommend a nursing career to young people, an increase from 36 percent last year.
• 74 percent of nurses are satisfied with their careers, down from 78 percent during 2010.
• 44 percent of RNs said they would not choose to be a nurse again, up from 41 percent last year.
• 14 percent of nurses plan to work as a travel nurse in the next one to three years, an increase from 9 percent in 2010.