Nurses in 2024 – A Brief Check-in
An ongoing concern for many nurses is the insufficient time they have available for direct patient care. In understaffed facilities, nurses can be physically taxed by the pace at which they must work, and morally injured if they believe they are unable to provide adequate care to patients. In fully staffed facilities, the physical demands of the job may be more evenly distributed and nurses may be more likely to enjoy the emotional rewards gained by maintaining high standards of care. The majority of nurses (58%) said that “better schedules/hours” are extremely important to them at their workplace, while only 14% said “better schedules/hours” are either “slightly important” or “not at all important.” COVID-19 caused workers of all types to reassess where, when and how they work. This is particularly true of nurses, who were at ground zero of the pandemic. For many, the old paradigm of fixed hours/shifts is no longer tenable. Schedule flexibility and the ability to have more control over when and where they work are of increasing importance to nurses and other healthcare workers. Flexible work options may include part-time work, telemedicine or hybrid positions, travel nursing (either through an outside agency or through an internal agency managed by their employer), per diem work or others. Today, offering schedule flexibility can be key for healthcare facilities seeking to be nurse “employers of choice” -- of equal or near equal importance to pay rates and adequate staffing. RECOGNITION, WELLNESS AND DIVERSITY Other workplace related factors considered extremely important to nurses are workplace recognition, wellness programs and workplace diversity. However, none of these factors was rated as “extremely important” by the majority of nurses surveyed. Close to one half (47%) rated “more recognition for nurses” at their workplace as “extremely important,” while 70% rated more recognition as either “extremely important” or “somewhat important.” Only 15% rated such programs as “slightly important” or “not at all important.” Forty-two percent of those surveyed rated “more wellness programs for nurses” at their workplace as extremely important, while 65% rated such programs as either “extremely important” or “somewhat important.” Only 18% said they are either “slightly important” or “not at all important.” Just over one quarter (26%) rated “more diversity among nurses” at their workplace as “extremely important,” while 46% rated diversity as either “extremely important” or “somewhat important”, while 34% said slightly to not at all. The survey indicates that while recognition, wellness and diversity are important to nurses, they may be less important than more tangible rewards such as enhanced pay, more nurses per patient, and better schedules.
© AMN Healthcare 2024
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