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Employment status of nursing professionals
As of the end of 2004, there are 1,292,593 nursing professionals in work force, including 46,024 public health nurses, 26,040 midwives, 797,233 registered nurses and 423,296 assistant nurses(*1). The workforce has grown 1.32 times over the past decade since 1994, and about 5 times since 1960. The government adopted policies for securing the nursing workforce, for example, introducing the education loan system for nursing students since 1962, and expanding the budget allocation for nursing education facilities since 1963. The efforts have led to a steady increase in the nursing workforce. The law for securing the nurse workforce and other human resources was enacted in 1992 to counter nurse shortages caused by the rapid trend of aging population and changes in the environment surrounding public health care. The law stipulated that the national and local governments are responsible for fostering nursing professionals, improving their working conditions and enhancing their professional capacities. The legislation also triggered an increase in four-year nursing universities.
However, demands for nursing workers have outpaced the supplies, due to the development of advanced medicine, increase in the number of hospital beds and the aging of patients. Japan is now in the state of chronic nurse shortages in terms of both quality and quantity.
Around 60%(*2) of all nursing workers are employed at hospitals, but the ratio is declining year after year, indicating diversifi cation in workplaces for nurses.
The Long-Term Care Insurance Law, enacted in 2000, shifted the place for treating and rehabilitating patients in chronic illnesses from hospitals to facilities for long-term care, in-home medical care and visiting nursing. The number of nursing workers required in various areas continues to increase steadily.
*1:Number of nursing professionals in workforce
*2:Ratio of nursing workers employed at hospitals
[ Transition in the number of nursing workers ]
| Number of nursing workers by workplace(2004) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Hospitals | 811,538 | 62.8% |
| Clinics (including midwifery practices) |
288,977 | 22.4% |
| Long-term care facilities | 70,943 | 5.5% |
| Municipalities (local governments) |
30,724 | 2.4% |
| Visiting nurse stations | 26,434 | 2.0% |
| In-home care services | 27,089 | 2.1% |
| Nurse training institutes / research laboratories | 13,381 | 1.0% |
| Public health offices | 8,894 | 0.7% |
| Factories and offices (industrial health care and nursing) |
7,626 | 0.6% |
| Other | 6,987 | 0.5% |
| Total | 1,292,593 | 100.0% |