Number of nurses in OK at all-time high

The number of licensed nurses in Oklahoma stands at nearly 75,000, an all-time high in the state. The Oklahoman reported Sunday that a recent open records request to the Oklahoma Board of Nursing found there are 74,656 licensed nurses in the state, an increase of more than 22,000 during the past decade. Nursing board executive director Kim Glazier said she traces the increase to a panic of sorts that began in 2004 or 2005 when reports began that there was a looming nursing shortage to take care of the aging baby boom generation, generally defined as those born between 1946 and 1964. Efforts were made then to attract more people to nursing.