+ 82%, in 20 years the number of nurses has increased significantly in the Pays de la Loire, as in the rest of France

As of 1 January 2021, according to the Regional Health Observatory (ORS), the Pays de la Loire had 36,470 nurses. 67% practice in a health facility. About 20% are employees of a non-hospital facility.

This is a trend that has been confirmed for 20 years now, the number of nurses continues to increase in the Pays de la Loire, as in all of France. The covid should have aroused vocations. Not for the money… The average French salary remains below the European average.

In two decades, the numbers have increased by 82%. The profession attracts more and more, and in this period of health crisis it seems to give birth to even more vocation. Since 2016, nearly 6,000 additional assistants have joined the ranks. Two thirds of them work in health care settings. The former in public hospitals, 20% are employed in nursing homes, the others in facilities for the disabled, in occupational health services or at schools and universities.

The least attractive department? Mayenne which already suffers greatly from medical desertification.

Pays de la Loire has 964 nurses per 100,000 inhabitants in 2021. This density is 16% lower than the national average (1,145 nurses per 100,000 inhabitants). Departmental disparities are observed in the region, particularly in relation to the importance of the offer in health facilities. Vendée has the lowest density of nurses (853) and Maine-et-Loire the highest (1,092), close to the national average.

And the profession is still ultra-feminine. In 2021, 89% of nurses are women. The median age of nurses in the region is 43.6 years. It is 2 years younger than the national average of 45.5 years.

The average age of nurses tends to increase, in connection with a large increase in the number of nurses aged 60 and over. This development affects more particularly salaried nurses.

54% of nurses graduated in the region and mainly choose the public. 19,700 nurses are employed in the care units of health facilities. 75% practice in public facilities, 15% in private clinics and 10% in private health facilities of collective interest. Among these health professionals, 8% have a specialization: 450 are operating room nurses, 520 nurse anesthetists and 670 infant nurses.

More than 1,100 nurses (6%) work as healthcare managers. 15% of nurses working in institutions have a fixed-term contract (CDD). This percentage is higher than the average in France (9%) and is increasing (10% at the end of 2013, 14% at the end of 2018).

As for 3257 liberals, in 2020 they carried out more than 26 million acts, mostly of technical assistance.

There are 71 nursing care centers and 3 multi-purpose health centers in the region.