Nurse state legislators, 2013 to 2023

Area of Science:

• Health Policy
• Political Science
• Nursing

Background:

• Electing nurses to state legislatures is crucial for developing effective health policies.
• Nurses in office contribute valuable expertise to health-related decision-making.

Purpose of the Study:

• To track the number and distribution of American nurses in state legislatures in 2023.
• To compare the 2023 data with the 2013 nurse legislator numbers.

Main Methods:

• A directory of nurses elected to state legislatures in 2023 was compiled.
• Data collected included state, election year, party affiliation, committee assignments, and legislative status (full-time/part-time).

Main Results:

• In 2023, 72 nurses served in 36 states, with nearly even party distribution (38 Republican, 34 Democrat).
• Most nurse legislators served on health (60) or finance (32) committees.
• A decline from 97 nurse legislators in 39 states in 2013 was observed.

Conclusions:

• The number of nurse legislators has declined over the last decade.
• Identifying current nurse legislators offers critical data for recruiting and electing more nurses to shape health policy.