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

Abstract

This paper studies the effects of changes in states' scope of practice (SOP) laws 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 but APRNs working in states without oversight requirements are much more likely to be self-employed and to work more hours. APRNs are also found to commute to less restrictive SOP environments when geographically feasible. Increases in the labor supply of nurses when regulatory environments are relatively free from physician oversight requirements can bring an important change to the delivery of health care in the United States.