The United States Department of Labor identifies current employment trends affecting the world of nursing. “Registered nurses (RNs) are currently the largest occupation in health care, accounting for 2.5 million jobs” (Vallano, 2008, p. 169). Vallano (2008) then summarizes nursing employment trends by giving percentages of the current hospital nursing rate and the employment rate for the future of nursing. The percentage of nurses in hospitals stands at 59 percent, and the employment rate for nurses is expected to reach 23 percent between 2006 and 2016. This rate would be faster than the average for all professions. Vallano, 2008, p.169).With the positive statistics mentioned above, how is it that a steady increase in nurse employment can last for decades and then suddenly decline for years? Researchers have discovered some of the factors that are driving nursing employment trends. These include: nursing shortages, salaries and location of employment, gender, marital status, and differences between novice and expert nurses. These factors have been studied and explained on how they affect the employment of nurses and also help to give an idea of ​​future employment trends in the world of nursing. Discussion of Relevant Professional LiteratureIt is important for new graduates, current nurses, foreign nurses, and nurses who may no longer work in a health care environment to understand current and future nursing employment trends. In the book Your Nursing Career: Managing Your Future in the Changing World of Healthcare, Vallano (2008) identifies six criteria that all nurses mentioned above should meet middle of paper... ...the world d'ay: trends, issues and management. (9th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams and WilliamsJeffreys, MR (2006). Teaching cultural competence in nursing and health care. [Electronic version]. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/booksSpetz, J., Rickles, J., Chapman, S., & Ong, P. (2008). Employment and industry turnover for licensed and licensed professional nurses. JONES. 38(9). p. 372-87. doi:10.1097/01.NNA.0000323957.44791.b9Vallano, A. (2008). Your Nursing Career: Manage your future in the changing world of healthcare. [Electronic version]. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/booksWoods, D. (2010). Nursing Leaders Reveal Top Trends Impacting Nurses in 2010. NursingNews. Retrieved from http://www.nursezone.com/Nursing-News-Events/more-news/Nursing-Leaders-Reveal-Top-Trends-Impacting-Nurses-in-2010_33230.aspx