National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses' FAQs
What is the purpose of this study?
Since the 1970s, the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses (NSSRN) has been considered the cornerstone of nursing workforce data. It is the principal data source used for disseminating information to the Federal Government, researchers, and the public on the nursing workforce. The U.S. Census Bureau conducts the survey on behalf of Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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How is the information used?
The information you provide will be used to...
- Evaluate and project the supply and demand of nursing requirements at the state and national level
- Assess the impact of current state and federal programs for nursing and the need for future assistance
- Identify trends in nurse characteristics such as education and training, employment, income, and demographics
I thought that the Census Bureau operated only every ten years when it counted people. What is the Census Bureau doing now?
Besides the decennial census, which is conducted every ten years, the U.S. Census Bureau collects many different kinds of data through other censuses and surveys. The Census Bureau conducts other censuses regularly, including censuses of business and manufacturers and censuses of state and local governments. In addition, data is collected on a monthly basis to provide current information on such topics as unemployment rates, retail and wholesale trade, various manufacturing activities, and new housing construction, as well as yearly surveys on business, manufacturing, governments, family income, health, and education. Because the Census Bureau has vast experience in data collection and processing, it also conducts surveys for many other agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the National Center for Education Statistics, the National Science Foundation, and many more.
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Who is sponsoring the survey?
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis sponsors and provides the primary funding and oversight for the survey. The U.S. Census Bureau conducts the survey, oversees the sampling and produces a final public use data set of the results.
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What topics are covered in this survey?
Topics covered include:
- Eligibility and Education
- Principal Nursing Employment
- Secondary Employment in Nursing
- Nurse Practitioners
- Nurses Not Working in Nursing
- Prior Nursing Employment
- National Practicioner Data Bank
- General Information
- License and Certification Detail
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Why was I selected?
The U.S. Census Bureau scientifically selected you from a sample frame of all Registered Nurses in the country. Only a sample is selected because interviewing every RN in the country would be costly and would take too long. It is important that all selected RNs respond to the survey in order to ensure that the experiences of all types of RNs are represented.
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How was I chosen?
Using scientific sampling, you were selected as part of a nationwide sample to represent a cross section of the RN population in the United States. Sample members are randomly chosen to represent hundreds of others in the same field. Once a person has been selected in the sample, we cannot call another person because it would harm the quality of the sample data we collect. If we don't obtain responses from the people selected, the study could produce very biased data.
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Why are you asking about the specific day of December 31, 2021?
The survey is conducted over a period of several months. In order to standardize the survey responses, December 31st was selected so that everyone who participates will answer the questions for the same time period. It has no other special significance.
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When are results released?
Public use file will be released as soon as possible upon completion of data collection.
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How do the Census Bureau and HHS handle respondent confidentiality?
The information that respondents provide is used solely for statistical purposes. All Census Bureau employees take an oath of confidentiality and are subject to fines or imprisonment for improperly disclosing information provided by respondents. Names and addresses are removed from all forms, and are not included in any statistical release. As a further precaution, the U.S. Census Bureau applies certain restrictions to the data.
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How do you protect my privacy?
All Census Bureau employees take an oath of nondisclosure and are sworn for life to protect all information that could identify individuals.
Disclosing ANY information that could identify you or your family means 5 years in prison, or $250,000 in fines, or both.
To protect your privacy, the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses NEVER asks for:
- your Social Security number
- your personal information via email
- money or donations
- credit card information
The Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act (CIPSEA; 44 U.S.C., 101) hold all information that individuals give
to the Census Bureau in the strictest confidence. Although there are no penalties for not answering, each missing answer makes the national
figures less accurate.
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How do I verify that the survey materials are legitimate?
This collection has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The eight-digit OMB approval number that appears on the back cover of the questionnaire or login screen confirms this approval. If this number were not displayed we could not conduct this survey.
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How can I be sure my information is really going to the Census Bureau and not some third party?
Our secure server uses a digital certificate (digital ID) issued by a Certificate Authority (CA) as proof of identity. The only way to be sure of
a web site's authenticity is to view their digital ID. The digital ID will contain information such as:
- The name of the organization that owns the web site (e.g., "U.S. Census Bureau")
- The site's registered Internet name/address (e.g., "respond.census.gov")
- The name of the Certification Authority under which the digital ID was issued (e.g., "VeriSign Trust Network")
The method for viewing a web site's Digital Certificate/ID varies depending on the web browser. Please see your browser's "help" information for
instructions on how to verify a web site's identity.
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What is the legal authority behind the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses?
The U.S. Census Bureau is required by law to protect your information and is not permitted to publicly release your responses in a way that could identify you or your household. The U.S. Census Bureau is conducting the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses on the behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
under Title 13, United States Code, Section 8(b), which allows the Census Bureau to conduct surveys on behalf of other agencies. Public Service Act 42 U.S.C. Section 294n(b)(2)(A) and Title 42 U.S.C. Section 295k(a)-(b) allows HHS to collect information for the purpose of understanding the nursing workforce in the United States.
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Why should I participate?
Because of your cooperation and the cooperation of others, the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis is able to provide supply and demand projections of nursing resources at both state and national levels and inform program and policies to improve the training and education of nurses.
Your answers not only represent you, but thousands of nurses like you. The Census Bureau will combine your answers with answers obtained from other nurses to produce collective information at the national and state levels. For this reason, your cooperation in this voluntary survey will provide a distinct service to our country. You may decline to answer any or all questions, but each item not answered lessens the quality of the final results.
Your information will be held in the strictest confidence as required by the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act (CIPSEA). Your information will only be used for statistical purposes.
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What are the benefits of participating?
By participating in the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses, you are helping researchers, policymakers, and the general public better understand the employment, education, and demographic characteristics of the nursing workforce. Your responses also help develop supply and demand projections needed to inform policymakers about RN workforce needs. Ultimately, your participation benefits all nurses and the patients that rely on their care across the country.
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How long will it take?
We estimate that completing the NSSRN will take 30 minutes on average.
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For this survey, is it safe to provide my information over the Internet?
Yes. For this survey, your information is encrypted at all times. Our secure servers use "HTTPS," Hypertext Transfer Protocol over Secure Socket Layer, to ensure the encrypted transmission of data between your browser and the U.S. Census Bureau. This means that instead of sending readable text over the Internet, both your browser and our server encode (scramble) all data using a security key. That way, personal data sent to your browser and data you send back is virtually impossible to decipher in the unlikely event it was intercepted by an unauthorized party. All browsers connecting to our secure server must use a minimum encryption key size of 128 bits. If you cannot connect to our secure server and you are using an older browser, please upgrade to a newer browser capable of using the required encryption key size. In addition to data being encrypted during transmission, all data are strongly encrypted when stored on the Census Bureau servers.
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What if I do not know an exact answer to a question?
If you do not know an answer or are unsure, please provide your best guess or estimate. If you need clarification on what a specific question is asking, please call the U.S. Census Bureau toll-free at 1-888-368-3598 or
email us at
addp.nssrn@census.gov.
How can I obtain additional information about the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses?
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How can I respond to the survey or get help?
You can respond in one of the following ways:
- Web questionnaire
- Paper questionnaire
As noted in the letter you received requesting your participation, if you are unable to complete the survey by Web, feel free to contact
telephone support at 1-888-368-3598 or email us at
addp.nssrn@census.gov for assistance. You can also
contact us if you received a Web questionnaire and prefer to respond by paper.
