This report focuses on nursing educational and practice issues that government officials may have to address in the near future. The report provides statistical information on nurses, compares statistics for white and black nurses, and recommends policies for the future. Data was gathered for the report during a three-year study of 5,175 registered nurses and 3,942 student nurses. The report is divided into six chapters. Chapter 1 looks at the supply of nurses and discusses the registered nurses' labor force participation and work patterns. Chapter 2 addresses the nurse maldistribution problem. It investigates nurses' working patterns in the inner city, rural areas, and in services to the elderly. Chapter 3 discusses the importance of government intervention for the racial and economic integration of the nursing corps. Chapter 4 concentrates on the "1985 Plan" for requiring baccalaureate degrees for all professional nurses. Chapter 5 discusses the nurses' collective action movement and their level of support for unionization and strikes; and the relationships among personal and educational background, work experience, career aspirations and orientation, and this support. Chapter 6 investigates who speaks for the working nurse. It examines the membership rates in professional associations and who participates in them. (KC)