The American Nurses Association (ANA) placed its support behind President Obama's plan to include a public health insurance plan in any healthcare reform legislation in a statement earlier this week.

Describing themselves as "deeply disappointed to learn of the American Medical Association's position that private health insurance alone should dictate coverage options for all who don't qualify for existing public plans," the ANA said that the goal of affordable, high-quality healthcare for all is best achieved with a public option.

The ANA has previously callied upon federal policymakers to make sure that nurses are given the opportunity to play an important role in providing the primary care expanded healthcare insurance would require.

Careers in nursing are plentiful and nurses are in high demand. Nursing is a growth industry and many experts consider there to already be a shortage of nurses, something that any healthcare reform plan will have to address. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicted a 23 percent increase in the number of registered nurses from 2006 to 2016, from 2.5 million to more than 3 million, a much higher rate than the national average even before healthcare reform was proposed.