Florida Atlantic University, author of Daily Nurse
Cross Country Healthcare’s annual national survey of nursing professionals and students finds nurses remain passionate about patient care despite historical issues requiring reform. Barbasa
National survey participants include 1,780 nursing professionals and students in healthcare and hospital settings between May 11 and June 24, 2022, in partnership with Florida Atlantic University’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing.
Overall, the study revealed that nurses remain passionate about patient care, citing helping people through meaningful work (66%), but highlighted areas of dissatisfaction and current industry challenges, including pay/remuneration rates (86%), staff shortages (53%), stress (39%) and burnout (35%) as the main job dissatisfactions facing the profession. The survey, conducted in collaboration with Florida Atlantic University Christine E. Lynn College of Nursingprovides meaningful and actionable information to equip healthcare facility leaders, academics, nursing students, and professionals with the most relevant issues facing this profession.
“Nursing is one of the most trusted professions in the world. A nurse is with you through every stage of life, from birth to death and everything in between. They make life-changing decisions every day,” says Hank Drummond, Ph.D., MDiv, BA, RN, Senior Vice President and Clinical Director. “This study allows us to take the pulse of the current challenges facing the profession and address them head-on by listening to their concerns and taking action.”
Main results of the national survey
- Student nurses said they were most concerned about stress (45%), not having enough staff to meet demand (35%) and feeling overworked (27%).
- Almost a third (28%) of nurses said their desire to leave the profession had increased dramatically since the pandemic, while those who said their desire to stay had increased since the pandemic went up from 24% l year to 4% this year.
- Doing meaningful work, income, and a lifestyle are the main drivers for staying in the field. However, almost half (48%) of currently employed nurses said they would not become nurses again if they could talk to themselves or were unsure if they would.
- 30% of nurses said they plan to work in the profession for the foreseeable future, although 23% plan to seek a new career in 1-2 years and 13% plan to retire in 1-5 years.
“The results of our survey of nearly 2,000 employed nurses and students indicate the ongoing challenges facing the profession, providing us with a roadmap to address their concerns with innovative strategies that meet the needs of the nurse. and the healthcare system,” says Safiya George. , doctorate, APRN-BC, FAANP, Dean and Professor at Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing at Florida Atlantic University.
The Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing offers accredited programs at all levels to prepare and train students, including various tracks for a BSN, Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), Ph.D. and DNP driven by benevolent science. A BSN-DNP program with a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner concentration and postgraduate dermatology and telehealth certificate courses and other concentrations that intersect innovation and technology are also offered to address shortages of health care providers.
Room for meaningful change
Cross Country Healthcare is deploying strategies to transform the nursing profession, including an ongoing review of compensation rates and retention practices, identifying new avenues for education, licensing and talent development, focusing on flexibility and opportunities for growth and investments towards innovation to strengthen the nursing workforce. .
“Nurses are passionate but exhausted, and there is room for meaningful change. The demand for patient care is increasing exponentially,” says Michael Skovira, MBA, MPAS, PA-C, chief medical officer at Cross Country Healthcare. “We need to change the way we educate, train, hire, manage and treat our nurses. We have all the tools to start now, but we cannot implement these practices if we continue to blame the pandemic for a situation that has been worsening for years. We need to come together as an industry and start now.
Cross Country has launched several initiatives and continues to invest heavily in technology and digital transformation to support these strategies, including the new CrossCountry.com as a new way to engage nurses seamlessly and without friction.
