The Effects of State Scope of Practice Laws on the Labor Supply of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses

Working Paper: NBER ID: w26896

Authors: Sara Markowitz; E. Kathleen Adams

Abstract: This paper studies the effects of changes in states’ scope of practice laws (SOP) for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) on individual labor supply decisions. Restrictive SOP impose costs and other barriers to practice that may affect these decisions. Using survey data on APRNs, we analyze employment in nursing, work hours, part-time work status, multiple job holding, self-employment, wages, and migration. Results show that the level of SOP restrictions are not strong determinants of many labor market decisions, with a few exceptions. We find that hours worked and self-employment both increase when nurses practice in regulatory environments that are free from physician oversight requirements.

Keywords: scope of practice; advanced practice registered nurses; labor supply; healthcare policy

JEL Codes: I1; J01; K0


Causal Claims Network Graph

Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.


Causal Claims

CauseEffect
SOP laws (K32)hours worked (J22)
SOP laws (K32)self-employment rates (J23)
FPA (F53)hours worked (J22)
FPA (F53)self-employment rates (J23)
SOP laws (K32)wages (J31)
SOP laws (K32)employment probabilities (J68)

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