Between 2000 and 2004, the number of RNs living and working in the United States increased by 8% to nearly 3 million, according to statistics from the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses. Conducted every 4 years, the survey sketched the following profile of nursing today:

1. 58% of RNs work full-time, almost 25% work part-time, and about 17% aren't employed in nursing

2. The average age for a nurse in March 2004 was 47, compared with 45 in 2000. In 1996, the average age was 42.

3. The average salary for full-time RNs was $56,784 in 2004, compared with $46,782 in 2000.

4. For the preliminary survey findings, visit http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/healthworkforce/reports/rnpopulation/preliminaryfindings.ht.