Even though nursing is the largest health profession in the United States with more than 3 million registered nurses, less than 1 percent of nurses have a doctorate in nursing or a related field.

Nurse researchers help answer many pressing health and health care questions, including how to prevent costly and life-threatening medical errors, how to help older Americans stay out of long-term care facilities and in their own homes, and how to improve the rate of vaccinations and immunizations to prevent the spread of infectious disease.