Crain’s New York Business
Nurse practitioners employed by New York State are suing the Department of Civil Service over alleged pay discrimination in a field dominated by women making far less than their physician counterparts.
The vast majority of nurse practitioners are women. In 2021, 92% were female statewide, according to the Center for Health Workforce Studies at SUNY Albany. By contrast, only 40% of active physicians in New York State in 2020 were female, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.
The number of nurse practitioners in New York has increased in recent years. The state issued more than 4,000 licenses in 2023, a 57% increase from 2019, according to data from the state Education Department. Close to half the 32,000 nurse practitioners in the state specialize in family health, with a plurality in adult health, psychiatry, pediatrics and acute care, the data show.