The Keys to Nurse Job Satisfaction

LOVE GOING TO WORK? WHY SOME NURSES ANSWER “YES” AND

OTHERS “NO.”
By Jennifer Larson, contributor
How satisfied are you with your current nursing job?
Whether you are excited to go to work every day or have to drag yourself
there by an act of sheer will, there are a number of factors affecting
your nurse job satisfaction. Some are more obvious than others, ranging from
your relationships with colleagues, to your career trajectory and your job’s
effect on your physical and emotional health.
Five factors that can affect why you are, or are not, satisfied with your nursing
job:
1. The physical work environment. A 2014 study conducted through the Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation’s RN Work Project, published in Research in
Nursing & Health, found that a nurse’s physical work environment seems to
have an influence on his or her perception of his/her nursing job. For example,
design characteristics such as the arrangement of furniture, décor and the
crowdedness of the work environment, as well as lighting and temperature, all
can have an effect. The more highly a nurse rated those types of features, the
more likely he or she was to report better working relationships, said lead
researcher Maja Djukic, PhD, RN, assistant professor at the College of
Nursing, New York University.
2. Your age. AMN Healthcare’s 2015 Survey of Registered Nurses found that
younger nurses tend to be more confident about their own careers as nurses--
and the profession in general. In fact, the survey found that older nurses were
more likely than younger nurses to report that nursing was less rewarding
than when they began their careers.
3. Recognition of your accomplishments. The American Association of Critical-
Care Nurses included meaningful recognition in a list of six standards that are
vital to a healthy work environment in a 2005 report. If your employer has
determined--and implemented--the most effective ways to recognize you for
your hard work and contributions, you’re more likely to be satisfied with your
job.
4. Appropriate staffing levels. A recent literature review by the American
Nurses Association noted that research clearly shows that effective staffing
levels help nurses do a better job at caring for their patients--and adequate
support for nurses that includes safe staffing levels also improves satisfaction
and retention rates.
5. Attention to nurse health and injuries. A 2011 study in the Journal of
Advanced Nursing found that on-the-job injuries can lead to nurse turnover,
especially among newly licensed nurses.  The authors noted that 40 percent
of the hospital nurses surveyed had experienced one or more sprains or
strains--and about one-fifth of them quit their first nursing job within about two
years. A 2014 survey by Ergotron also found that 60 percent of nurses
surveyed were worried their jobs are negatively impacting their overall health.
When nurses’ physical discomfort or injuries are not addressed, patient care
tends to suffer; in fact, 22 percent of those in the Ergotron study reported
being less friendly or engaging less with their patients and 17 percent reported
being more distracted.
So how do you improve nurse job satisfaction? Here are some potential
solutions:
Find a mentor. A mentor can help you get acclimated to a particular job, or
provide guidance about your career path. Mentoring also seems to help many
new nurses feel more satisfied about their profession. A 2012 study in Nursing
Research & Practice found a “positive relationship between career satisfaction
and intent to stay in the nursing profession.”
Get involved. That could mean joining a hospital committee, providing
feedback on important issues or otherwise participating in the decision-making
process. Djukic said, “If you have a say in the way that things are done, they
are more likely to be done in a way that makes you happy.” When healthcare
organizations are considering implementing new policies or remodeling
facilities, nurses should speak up and provide input.
Consider a change. If you feel consistently dissatisfied with your current
nursing job and can’t seem to find a reasonable solution, it could be time to
consider a change. Travel nursing can give you a fresh start with a job that is
close to home or across the country. Assignments can begin within just a few
weeks, and generally last 4 to 13 weeks.
Everyone has a vested interest in making sure nurses are happy. Nurse job
satisfaction levels relate to quality of care, turnover rates and hiring costs,
and research shows a link between nurse job satisfaction and patient
satisfaction. High patient satisfaction scores, in turn, make the administrators
and leaders happy. In essence, if nurses are satisfied, just about everyone
else will be, too.

https://www.americanmobile.com/nursezone/career-development/the-keys-to-nurse-job-satisfaction/

5 Ways to Achieve Nurse Job

Satisfaction
By Debra Wood, RN, contributor
Are you happy at work? Does your practice give you
the inner satisfaction of helping others that
prompted you to become a nurse to begin with? If
not, it may be time to change it up. You see, nurse
job satisfaction affects not just nurses but also
patient outcomes and gratification.

And nursing job satisfaction surveys show that a lot

depends on working conditions.

For example, if a nurse’s work culture “is unhealthy

and toxic, the negative distractions and emotional
exhaustion interfere with our ability to do this work
of caring and compassion,” said Regie Thompson,
RN, CNRN, at Craig Hospital, a Magnet-designated
hospital in Englewood, Colo.

How Satisfaction Levels And Outcomes Are Linked

Matthew D. McHugh, at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and colleagues reported that
patient satisfaction is significantly lower in organizations where many nurses feel dissatisfied with
their work conditions as compared to those in other facilities. 

In another study, patients experienced fewer infections, fewer hospital-acquired pressure ulcers and
improved quality of care when nurses were satisfied with their jobs. The data was recently presented
by Nancy Dunton, PhD, FAAN, at the University of Kansas in Kansas City, and Diane K. Boyle, PhD,
RN, at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, at the American Nurses Association’s Nursing Quality
Conference in Atlanta. 
“When there is a high level of nurse engagement, the nurse-driven patient outcomes are significantly
better than in organizations with low nurse engagement,” said Jeff Doucette, DNP, RN, FACHE,
NEA-BC, CENP, LNHA, vice president of the Magnet Recognition Program and Pathway to
Excellence at the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).
Most nursing job satisfaction surveys show that respondents are happy with their careers overall, but
their individual jobs can be a different story.

The Medscape Nurse Career Satisfaction Report 2016 found that 95 percent of nurses are glad they
became a nurse, and nearly 80 percent would make the same career choice again. The AMN
Healthcare 2015 Survey of Registered Nurses also found that most nurses are proud of their
profession and satisfied with their nursing career choice, but not as satisfied with their current jobs.

5 Ways to Achieve Nurse Job

Satisfaction
If you want to love your job and your profession, try these five methods to help you achieve improved
job satisfaction:

1. Switch Things Up
Who says you can’t work in a new environment? One of nursing’s biggest benefits is the opportunity
to work in different settings, doing different things. Nurses can easily move from one medical-
surgical unit to another, or one ICU unit to another, or even to a different type of unit or healthcare
facility. Another way to give yourself a change of pace and location is by signing up as a travel
nurse.

2. Find A Nurse-Friendly Hospital 

Examples include an American Nurses Credentialing Center-designated Magnet or Pathway
hospital. 

“There is a ton of work that links positive patient outcomes and higher nurse satisfaction to positive
work cultures,” Doucette said. “When nurses are fully engaged in their practice and have some
control over their practice, there is a much higher level of satisfaction and engagement. That leads to
improved patient outcomes.”
Researcher Linda Aiken, PhD, RN, FAAN, FRCN, at the University of Pennsylvania, has reported
that Magnet hospitals have better work environments and higher nurse job satisfaction than non-
Magnet facilities. Nurses have access to publicly available information about hospitals and should
consider that before working in one, Doucette advised. 
[Talk to NurseChoice about travel jobs at Magnet hospitals and other top facilities.]

3. Seek Out Autonomy

 Some nurses want to have more freedom directing their day-to-day tasks. Brooke Broadbent, RN, a
nurse for 25 years in Kansas City, Mo., says she has never been happier nor had more control over
her own work life than since she started working in infusion services, operating a clinic. 

“I like the teamwork,” Broadbent said. “You feel like you are a part of the decision-making process,
and your opinion really counts.”  

4. Find The Right Work–Life Balance

Deb Griffin, RN, MSN, CCM, COS-C, staff development coordinator at NVNA and Hospice in
Norwell, Mass., found her work–life balance and nurse job satisfaction in home health nursing. 
“Flexibility of hours, one-on-one opportunities with patients and families and a more predictable
scheduling allow for better work–life balance, which promotes job satisfaction,” said Griffin, who also
recommends continuing to grow in the profession by pursuing an advanced degree or certification.

5. Care For Yourself

 Thompson spearheaded the creation of self-care initiatives called Healthy Healers at Craig Hospital,
which has a dedicated quiet room for nurses to meditate and do yoga. She offers nurses hand and
chair massages and brings cookies at off hours. A case manager and occupational therapist offer
mediation classes. When it comes to nurse job satisfaction, Thompson emphasizes the importance
of rest, nutrition, exercise, family and friends, fun, mindfulness, reflection and meditation.

“Essentially all nurses and caregivers put themselves last when it comes to prioritizing needs,”
Thompson said. “They put the needs of their patients, their families, their employers, and even their
communities before their own. It’s in a nurse’s DNA.” 
Yet, you can’t take care of others well if you are not taking care of yourself. 

The American Nurses Association has championed nurses’ self-care for years, and has
designated 2017 The Year of the Healthy Nurse. This year-long campaign encourages nurses to
balance their life, improve their health and achieve nurse job satisfaction.
SEEKING greater job satisfaction? NurseChoice can help you find it, with an exciting travel nursing
job in your choice of locations

https://www.nursechoice.com/traveler-resources/five-ways-to-achieve-nurse-job-satisfaction/

How nurses feel about their

jobs, in 4 charts
 9:00 AM - January 25, 2019

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 Most nurses are satisfied with their jobs, but some would have chosen a different path if they could do it
over again, according to Medscape's Nurse Career Satisfaction Report 2018.

9 tools to retain nurses in the first year

About the survey

For the report, which Medscape released Wednesday, the publication surveyed 10,284 nurses,
including:

 5,011 RNs;
 2,006 nurse practitioners (NPs);
 2,002 licensed practical nurses (LPNs);
 501 clinical nurse specialists (CNSs);
 389 nurse midwives (NMs); and
 375 certified nurse anesthetists (CRNAs).

Nurse's job satisfaction

Overall, the vast majority of nurses at every position were satisfied with their jobs. NMs, CNSs,
and CRNAs all reported 98% job satisfaction, while NPs, LPNs, and RNs had satisfaction rates
ranging from 94% to 96%.

However, when asked if they would choose the same career all over again, even though the vast
majority of nurses are satisfied with their career, a smaller share of nurses said they would
choose nursing as a career again. Between 12% and 24% said they would not choose nursing as a
career again.

The survey also found that only 28% to 38% of nurses would choose the same practice setting if
they were to do over their career.

Among nurses who were dissatisfied with their careers, many said they planned to pursue
another path within nursing, including 25% of RNs and 31% of CNSs. Almost one-quarter of
CRNAs said they would retire earlier than they planned, while 20% of RNs said the same. At
16%, LPNs were the most likely to say they would leave nursing as a whole and seek other
employment.

Most (and least) rewarding aspects of the job

When asked what the most rewarding aspect of their job was, most nurses said helping people
and making a difference in people's lives. However, for CRNAs, respondents were split between
helping people and working to the full extent of their education, certification, and licensure.

When asked what the least satisfying aspect of their job was, most nurses said workplace
politics, followed by their amount of paperwork.

Preparedness for retirement

When asked about retirement, the majority of each specialty of nurse, with the exception of RNs
and LPNs, said they were financially prepared for retirement.

The survey also found that most nurses received little help or guidance as they neared retirement,
with the majority of nurses reporting they did not receive reduced hours, less physically
demanding work, or guidance on retirement planning.

"Employers looking to replace their older nurses with far cheaper new-graduate nurses have little
incentive to help nurses stay on the job," the authors of the report wrote (Frellick, Medscape,
1/24; Stokowski et. al., Medscape Nurse Career Satisfaction Report 2018, 1/23).
https://www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2019/01/25/nurse-satisfaction

What Factors Influence

Job Satisfaction for
Nurses?
July 25, 2018, by #EveryNurse

A reciprocal relationship often exists between job satisfaction and performance: The
more satisfied you are with your job, the better you perform. Meanwhile, as performance
rises, so does job satisfaction. Therefore, understanding satisfaction is an important part
of maximizing engagement and performance while minimizing dissatisfaction, burnout,
and turnover. We can think of no sector where acknowledging this phenomenon is more
important than the nursing profession.

All of which begs the question: What factors most impact job satisfaction for nurses?
Here’s a closer look at the issue, including a roundup of key factors supporting nursing
job satisfaction.

An Early Theory on Job Satisfaction

Several studies have looked into the issue of employee satisfaction in healthcare. One
of the earliest examples? Motivation theory pioneer Frederick Herzberg’s work in the
late 1950s, which asked healthcare workers to consider times when they felt best and
worst about their jobs. Based on their responses, Herzberg developed the theory that
there are two dimensions of job satisfaction: “hygiene” and “motivators.”

According to Herzberg, job satisfaction doesn’t directly derive from hygiene issues. So
why do they matter? Because they are essential to creating work environments that are
conducive to satisfaction among the employees who work there. Herzberg categorized
the following workplace attributes under the heading of hygiene:

 Clear and reasonable company and administrative policies

 Positive and fair supervision

 Adequate compensation across salaries, raises, and bonuses

 Interpersonal relations, including a sense of camaraderie and teamwork

 Comfortable working environments

Only when these factors are in place, insists Herzberg, do motivators — which do
directly facilitate satisfaction — enter the picture. These include:

 Meaningful work with plenty of opportunities to contribute

 A feeling of achievement facilitated by clear goals and standards

 Recognition of achievements

 Responsibility, freedom, and ownership of work

 Advancement opportunities

Conclude authors J. Michael Syptak, MD, David W. Marsland, MD, and Deborah Ulmer,
PhD of Herzberg’s research in their article “Job Satisfaction: Putting Theory into
Practice “, which appeared in the journal, Family Practice Management, “While there is
no one right way to manage people, all of whom have different needs, backgrounds and
expectations, Herzberg’s theory offers a reasonable starting point. By creating an
environment that promotes job satisfaction, you are developing employees who are
motivated, productive and fulfilled. This, in turn, will contribute to higher quality patient
care and patient satisfaction.”

While Herzberg’s research is useful to employers, it’s useful to healthcare workers, too.
When considering your nursing employment options, considering both hygiene issues
and motivators can help you find the opportunities that will best support satisfaction.
Survey Says…
You may be asking yourself how Herzberg’s theory holds up in the real world more than
half a century later? Very well, according to the results of Medscape’s recently released
annual investigation into satisfaction in the nursing profession. A survey of more than
10,500 LPNs, RNs and APRNs from throughout the United States, the Medscape Nurse
Career Satisfaction Report 2017 offers additional insights into job satisfaction for nurses
today.

For starters, Medscape’s findings reveal that 21st-century nurses view making a
difference by helping people as the most rewarding aspect of the work they do. Doing
jobs they like and being good at what they do claim the second and third place spots,
respectively, followed by patient relationships, pride in their jobs and care, relationships
with coworkers and being part of a team, and the opportunity to work in a variety of
settings.

It’s hardly a surprise that patient relationships and pride in their work made the list. After
all, nurses are the perennial top finisher on Gallup’s annual ranking of the most honest,
ethical professions. Certainly, a commitment to withholding this sterling reputation is
part of what drives their efforts while simultaneously fueling satisfaction.

The survey also highlights the rise of work-life balance as a factor in satisfaction.
Clearly, flexible work hours are a big part of it. However, it’s also about more than that.
“What respondents are also indirectly praising is the diversity of the nursing profession,
allowing them to spend all or part of their careers still as nurses but in positions that are
conducive to their lives outside of the work setting. No longer do nurses want to spend
40 years working 12-hour shifts, nights, and weekends on a busy inpatient unit,” says
the Medscape report.

But What About Money?

You may have noticed that one thing was conspicuously missing from the list of things
nurses find satisfying about their jobs: Money. In fact, “the amount of money I am paid”
landed on Medscape’s list of the least satisfying aspects of the job, alongside
administration/workplace policies, excessive documentation, lack of respect from
coworkers, high patient loads and lack of time to spend with patients, and the emphasis
on patient satisfaction as the top priority.
So, while money absolutely matters to a degree, it is far from the end-all-be-all when it
comes to nursing job satisfaction — especially when you consider that the highest
paying nursing jobs are not always the jobs with the highest job satisfaction. Rather, it’s
all about balance.

It’s also interesting to note that between four and nine percent of nurses identified
“nothing” as a least satisfying job aspect. In other words, a decent number of
respondents couldn’t come up with one thing they found dissatisfying about the
profession.

One last thing part of the Medscape report worth keeping in mind? While nursing — like
all professions — has its challenges, 95 percent of the nurses surveyed answered “yes”
to the question, “Are you glad to be a nurse?” The takeaway? The satisfaction they find
in the invaluable work they do far outweigh any downsides of the profession for the vast
majority of nurses.

https://everynurse.org/blog/what-factors-influence-job-satisfaction-nurses/
 Study Reveals Nurse Job Satisfaction Is an Area
for Concern
Published by Meghan Doherty

A new study by Medscape takes aim at

a growing issue — nurses and job satisfaction. Not surprisingly, nurses who earn more display
higher levels of overall job satisfaction — but there are other important takeaways from this
research. Which nurses report the highest level of satisfaction with their jobs, and why does
satisfaction matter? How can your organization help lower nurse turnover — and how much does
it cost at the end of the day when they leave? The answers to these questions and more lie with
the nurses themselves, and the latest research reveals just how much compensation and
professional development opportunities matter to today’s nurses.

Salary Satisfaction by Professional Credentials

The higher the degree and professional credentials attained, the more likely a nurse is to be
satisfied with his or her salary, according to the most recent findings. Salary satisfaction among
nurses peaks with APNs, while RNs and LPNs continue to struggle with the issue. From
unrealistic salary expectations to frustration with a lack of advancement opportunities, nurses
with lower professional credentials report more job dissatisfaction in general.

 73% of the top paid APNs are satisfied with their compensation, according to the Medscape
Survey
 54% of lower pay range APNs, including clinical nurse specialists and nurse midwives, reported
that they were satisfied with their wages
 53% of RNs also reported salary satisfaction, despite making less than their specialist and
midwife counterparts
 In contrast, only 43% of LPNs report being satisfied with their compensation

Not all job dissatisfaction stems from salary concerns. The actual setting where the work is
performed matters — and so do the day-to-day requirements. While professional development is
one of the most commonly cited factors when it comes to nursing job satisfaction, earning that
advanced degree comes with a price. For many nurses, making the jump from RN to BSN can
cost upwards of $100,000; supporting your nurses who are working towards a higher degree can
help boost employee accountability and loyalty.

The Institute of Medicine recommends that 80% of RNs make the jump to the next level by
earning their bachelor’s degree in nursing by 2020; as of the end of 2015, only 51% of nurses
have done so. Better nursing care equates to better outcomes, so making education a priority can
help your organization stand out to the most ambitious and forward thinking nursing
professionals. So, how can your organization help nurses interested in pursuing additional
certifications and advancing their degrees?” By offering eLearning courses eligible for CEUs
through your learning management system and tuition reimbursement for nurses who are
working towards a higher degree, you can boost employee satisfaction and likely retain top
talent.

Facing the High Cost of Nurse Turnover

Healthcare by its very nature is a high-pressure, stressful setting — making some turnover
unavoidable. Turnover rates can have a direct impact on both the quality of care your patients
receive and your organization’s bottom line. Losing good employees hurts your organization,
while getting rid of poor performers or troublesome hires improves it. Losing a strong employee
that you have invested time and money recruiting and training can cost you anywhere from
$42,000 to $60,000 depending on your location and the amount you invest in your recruitment
programs. This figure is for one employee — lose multiple employees in a quarter or year and
your facility could be out hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, simply because of your high
turnover rate. Identifying a turnover problem and developing a strategy to mitigate it is essential
to both your bottom line and your level of patient care.

Constant turnover needs to be addressed in order for your healthcare organization to succeed. If
you are sure you are paying your nursing staff a fair salary, then seeking out other issues can
help you determine the root cause. Is the setting itself a problem? Do you have a program in
place to encourage development and education? Could your hiring process be to blame? If you’re
not actively assessing your potential hires using the right behavioral tools and choosing those
candidates most likely to stay long-term, your turnover problem is more than likely related to
your hiring practices. Every organization is different, but determining the root cause of high
turnover can help develop strategies to improve retention and lower costs.

The actual setting where a nurse’s primary job is performed has a big impact on that individual’s
overall satisfaction. An overwhelming number of nurses surveyed claimed that they would not
choose to work in a hospital or long-term care setting after an initial position in one of these
 organizations. For administrators in one of these high stress and typically high turnover facilities,
retaining your nursing staff is critical to both patient care and your bottom line. Given the high
cost of turnover, developing and retaining your existing nursing staff is a must if you truly want
your organization to thrive. This critical need to retain qualified caregivers, coupled with the
recently released nursing satisfaction and salary findings reinforce the need for a multimodal
approach to nursing retention plans.

Actionable Ways to Improve Job Satisfaction for

Nurses
1. Evaluate Existing Compensation: Compare what you pay your nurses to the most up-to-date
compensation market data to ensure that your pay is on par with peer organizations.
2. Provide Professional Development Opportunities: Nurses who reach higher levels of education
also report higher levels of overall job and salary satisfaction. Supporting your staff as they learn and
earn advanced certifications, work towards their BSN, APN license, or move into leadership roles can
naturally improve your retention.
3. Give Nursing a Voice At the Top: Having an RN on the board or executive team can provide
valuable insights into frontline care delivery. This “peer-advocate” will help the nursing
organization feel that someone at the top relates to their job function. Nurses who feel understood,
cared for, and appreciated at work are more likely to stick around for the long-run.
4. Consider Retention During the Hiring Process: Since nurses are in demand and a majority of
their skills are transferrable between care settings, personality can play a key role in retention.
Choosing those candidates who are most likely to stay can help you cut your turnover rates
considerably; behavioral assessments can help you choose the most promising candidates for your
particular setting.
5. Provide a Realistic Job Preview: Make sure new hires have a clear understanding of what to
expect on the job from the very beginning. A mismatch between the new hire’s expectations and the
reality of the position can lead to rapid-fire turnover.

Identifying the key satisfaction issues can help you recruit, develop, and retain a patient and
resident-centered workforce who are committed to providing high-quality care

http://education.healthcaresource.com/nurse-job-satisfaction-study/

Nurse Survey Reveals Career Pride, Lower

Job Satisfaction
By Debra Wood, RN, contributor
With an evolving health care marketplace, nurses remain intensely proud of their profession and are
satisfied with their nursing career choice, but not their current jobs, according to AMN
Healthcare’s 2015 Survey of Registered Nurses.
“Nurses love what they do,” said Marcia Faller, PhD, RN, chief clinical officer for AMN Healthcare,
the nation’s largest health care staffing company. “They got into the career for a reason--to care for
people and help them improve their health. The career allows them to do that and they recommend
a nursing career to others, yet they are not as happy with their job for a number of reasons.”

Those reasons include inadequate pay, too heavy a workload, staffing shortages, difficulty with
management, and too many hours or poor scheduling. About half of the nurses surveyed thought
their jobs were affecting their health. Thirty percent said they often feel like resigning, and 21 percent
indicated plans to change positions but remain working as a nurse.

The 2015 survey reflects responses from 8,828 registered nurses in a variety of settings. Eighty-five
percent of nurses reported feeling satisfied with their choice of a nursing career, down from 90
percent in 2013. Nurses with higher degrees were slightly more satisfied with their career choice
than other nurses.
And 67 percent of respondents said they would encourage other people to become a nurse.
Younger nurses were more inclined to recommend a nursing career than their older colleagues, as
were nurses with graduate degrees.

However, only 63 percent of the responding nurses are satisfied with their current nursing jobs,
down from 73 percent in 2013.
Opportunities ahead
These frustrations may lead nurses to seek other opportunities, such as travel nursing, which
provides opportunities to gain experience in different working environments or even try one out
before accepting a position.
“A lot of nurses travel in order to find the place that is the right fit for the long term,” Faller said. “They
move around and look for an organization that has the same values as they do.”

About 6 percent of the respondents said they plan to work as a travel nurse. NICU and ER/trauma
nurses were the most inclined to consider travel nursing, at 11 percent and 10 percent respectively.

Faller indicated opportunities also exist for travel nurses to act as preceptors in training nurses in
specialty areas. Travelers need to be well versed in computer documentation.

The changing health care industry offers opportunities for nurses in new and emerging roles, such
as care coordinators, health coaches and patient navigators. Seventy-two percent of the surveyed
nurses were aware of these new positions, and 30 percent expressed an interest in entering a new
role. Sixty-two percent of nurses indicated they would start a training program for a new role, if one
were available.

That interest in learning is just the beginning of nurses’ commitment to attaining greater education.
Nineteen percent of all nurses and 36 percent of nurses younger than 40 years had set a goal of
becoming an advanced practice nurse and had either enrolled in a program or were considering it.

Nearly half of the respondents, 49 percent, said they planned to pursue a higher degree in nursing
within the next three years. Nurses younger than 40 years were particularly interested in more
degrees, with 77 percent indicating they planned to pursue a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or
doctoral degree in nursing within the next three years.

Education is a means to changing to a more satisfying nursing position. Faller reported an increased
demand by employers to hire and contract for travel nurses with bachelor’s degrees.

“A higher level of education will put them on top of the pick list for a travel nurse position,” Faller
said.

Quality of care
Nurses reported a high degree of satisfaction, 73 percent, with the quality of care they provide.
Nurses with doctoral degrees felt more strongly, with 81 percent of them reporting satisfaction with
the quality of care they provide patients.

Yet only 36 percent of nurses think they have enough time to spend with patients. More home health
nurses than any other specialty reported satisfaction with the amount of time they could spend with
patients, 57 percent. While only 23 percent of rehab and telemetry nurses felt they had enough time
with patients.

Faller said many younger nurses feel more positively about the changes occurring in health care,
such as increased use of technology and other advancements. Unlike older nurses, who learned to
do backrubs and spend time comforting patients, newer nurses do not enter the profession with
those expectations.

https://www.travelnursing.com/news/nurse-news/nurse-survey-looks-at-job-satisfaction/