Health Workforce

Minnesota Licensed Practical Nurses Facts and Data 2004

The Office of Rural Health & Primary Care asks Licensed Practical Nurses to answer questions about their employment status and the nature of their practices each year when they renew their licenses. Response to the survey is voluntary and does not affect license renewal.

NOTE: In the tables below, “urban” is defined to include seven Twin City metropolitan counties (Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott and Washington) and the cities of Duluth, Rochester and St. Cloud.

• Number of Licensed Practical Nurses

In May 2005, there were 22,764 Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) licensed to practice in Minnesota. Of these, 21,379 had Minnesota addresses. Some of these are retired or not working as nurses, and some may practice in other states. On the other hand, an unknown number of LPNs living in other states work in Minnesota.

Overall, the Board of Nursing received 23,222 LPN license renewals during the two-year period ending June 30, 2004. During the same period, the Board issued 2,682 new licenses.

To learn more about where nurses actually work and what kind of work they do, the Office of Rural Health and Primary Care asks nurses to complete a survey when they renew their licenses. In the two-year period ending June 30, 2004, the survey generated 17,348 responses, representing about 75 percent of LPNs renewing licenses. Newly licensed nurses are not surveyed until their licenses come up for renewal for the first time.

The exact number of LPNs actually practicing in Minnesota is not known. At time of license renewal, 14,409 survey respondents, or about 83 percent, said they working at least part time at a primary practice site in Minnesota. Applied to the total number of licensees, this percentage produces an estimate of approximately 18,900 Licensed Practical Nurses working at a Minnesota practice site in May 2005. Using the July 1, 2004, population estimate for Minnesota, this estimate amounts to 371 active LPNs per 100,000 people.

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development estimated 17,150 licensed practical and vocational nurses in Minnesota in the second quarter of 2004. The Health Resources and Services Administration estimated 16,870 LPNs in Minnesota in 2000.

The most recent national data permitting comparisons among states is from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for November 2003. Minnesota had 17,150 licensed practical and vocational nurses. Using estimated 2003 population, this amounted to 339 LPNs per 100,000 population, compared to a national rate of 238. Minnesota ranked third in the number of LPNs per capita.

All data reported below is from the survey conducted by Office of Rural Health & Primary Care, and includes only LPNs who work at least part time at a primary practice site in Minnesota.

[Top of page]

• Gender by age and location/ Licensed Practical Nurses active in Minnesota

Age/location	Respondents	Male	Female
All LPNs	14,409	3.5%	96.5%
Under 35	2,761	3.8%	96.2%
35-44	3,652	4.8%	95.2%
45-54	4,899	3.4%	96.6%
55-64	2,672	2.2%	97.8%
65 and older	425	1.2%	98.8%
Urban locations	6,959	5.2%	94.8%
Rural locations	7,450	2.0%	98.0%

• Age by location/Licensed Practical Nurses active in Minnesota

Age	Statewide n=14,409	Urban n=6,959	Rural n=7,450
Less than 35	19.2%	18.3%	19.9%
35-44	25.3%	25.7%	25.0%
45-54	34.0%	34.1%	33.9%
55-64	18.5%	19.3%	17.8%
65 and older	2.9%	2.6%	3.3%
Total	100%	100%	100%

[Top of page]

Primary practice settings: type of facility/employer

• Licensed Practical Nurses active in Minnesota

Type of Site	All LPNs n=14,404	Urban n=6,957	Rural n=7,447
Hospital-inpatient	18.2%	18.5%	17.9%
Hospital-outpatient	2.0%	2.7%	1.4%
Clinic/Provider office	25.3%	26.2%	24.4%
Nursing home	34.1%	29.7%	38.2%
Home health agency	6.1%	6.9%	5.4%
School/college/university	2.3%	2.4%	2.1%
Rehabilitation facility	1.5%	1.9%	1.2%
All other	10.5%	11.7%	9.4%
Total	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%

• Primary professional activity of Licensed Practical Nurses

Activity	All LPNs	Urban	Rural
Patient care	79.9%	79.9%	79.9%
Administration	1.9%	2.0%	1.9%
Supervision of patient care	9.3%	7.4%	11.0%
Insurance/utilization	.9%	1.5%	.3%
Case Management	.9%	1.2%	.6%
Teaching	.9%	1.0%	.8%
Telephone triage	1.0%	1.6%	.5%
Other	5.2%	5.3%	5.0%
Total	100.0%	100.0%	100.0%

[Top of page]

• Type or department/unit/area worked in a primary practice site

Department/unit/area	All LPNs n=14,404	Urban n=6,959	Rural n=7,447
Long term/Assisted Care	41.5%	35.7%	46.9%
Medical/Surgery	15.2%	15.2%	15.1%
Home care	6.6%	7.2%	6.1%
Psychiatric/Behavioral	4.7%	4.9%	4.4%
Obstetric/Gynecologic	3.6%	4.9%	2.4%
School health services	2.2%	2.2%	2.1%
Operating room/Recovery	1.3%	1.1%	1.6%
Public health	1.3%	1.1%	1.4%
Other	23.6%	27.7%	20.0%

[Top of page]

• Type or department/unit/area - hospital/in-patient facilities only

Department/unit/area	Statewide n=2,626
Medical/Surgery	50.1%
Psychiatric/Behavioral	11.0%
Obstetric/Gynecologic	8.8%
Long term/Assisted Care	5.1%
Operating room/Recovery	4.6%
Emergency	2.0%
Intensive Care	1.4%
Other	17.0%