NV ranks poorly for number of nurses, well for job prospects

Nevada ranks dead last in the number of nurses per capita, according to an analysis of the best and worst states for nurses released Tuesday. The ranking, from personal finance website WalletHub.com, reinforces what many state officials say is a weakness in the state's medical workforce: a shortage of health care professionals across the spectrum to attend to Nevada residents. However, the statistic actually bolsters Nevada's status in WalletHub's analysis because it improves the state's attractiveness to nurses looking for a job. Overall, Nevada is ranked 26th in the country for nurses. WalletHub looked at all 50 states and the District of Columbia, analyzing factors such as the number of job openings per capita, average annual salary, average number of hours worked and number of health care facilities in the state.