Scope of Practice Rules and Nurse Labor Supply

Abstract

This study examines whether adoption of full nurse practitioner (NP) scope-of-practice laws expands the long-run primary care workforce by increasing entry into nursing and NP training pathways. Using 2000-2019 ACS, IPEDS, and National Council of State Boards of Nursing data, we estimate stacked difference-in-differences and event-study models to assess effects on college major choice, graduate degree attainment, nurse licensure, and RN exam candidates. Preliminary results indicate that full SOP adoption increases nursing majors, partly by drawing students away from life sciences, but provides limited evidence of increased graduate training or NP entry, suggesting that these policies expand RN supply more than the NP workforce.