Close to two-thirds of registered nurses over age 54 are currently considering retirement, a November report by AMN Healthcare found.

Of the nurses over age 54 who responded to the AMN Healthcare survey, 62% said they were planning to retire within the next three years. More than half of registered nurses are over age 50, according to a study by the National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers cited in the AMN Healthcare report.

“This data confirms what we’ve known anecdotally and allows us to finally put dimensions and a timeline around a predicted retirement surge,” said AMN Healthcare Chief Clinical Officer Marcia Faller, RN, Ph.D.

“To withstand this loss, healthcare administrators need help in preparing for the nursing workforce of the future.”

In a related note, in December, 55 professional nursing organizations backed a bill introduced in the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee that would boost funding for nursing development programs to address an oncoming retirement boom. The Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act would reauthorize and update nurse development programs.