New Survey Reveals Key Findings Among Registered Nurses

DALLAS, Nov. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Healthcare Workforce Summit -- At the inaugural Healthcare Workforce Summit, AMN Healthcare Chief Clinical Officer Marcia Faller revealed the results of the "2012 Survey of Registered Nurses." 

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Key Findings

• While 91 percent of registered nurses (RNs) are satisfied with their careers, up significantly in 2012, 44 percent would not select or are not sure they would select nursing as a career if they had the opportunity to start again.
• Close to one-third of the respondents said they plan to take steps in the next one-to-three years to reduce their current workload.  Specifically, they cited shifting to part-time or less demanding roles, as well as transitioning out of nursing altogether, by retiring or seeking non-nursing jobs. 
• Slightly less than half (40 percent) said they would not recommend or are not sure that they would recommend nursing as a career to young people.
• Forty percent plan to pursue further education in nursing over the next one-to-three years, which is likely a result from significant publicity about a 2011 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report recommending that 80 percent of nurses working in hospitals hold a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) by 2020.  Today, less than 40 percent of nurses hold BSNs.

As nurse, allied health professional and physician shortages continue in the United States – coupled with the expected 30 million people who will become insured with the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), and changes in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement policies – closely following nursing trends is becoming increasingly more important. 

"The models for the delivery of quality patient care are changing and will influence what nurses do and where they perform their work," explained AMN's Chief Clinical Officer Marcia Faller.  "By studying motivators, educational trends and career satisfaction among nurses over time, we'll be able to understand how healthcare delivery itself is moving." 

About the RN Survey and its Methodology

Now in its third year, AMN Healthcare's Survey of Registered Nurses offers a snapshot of current job satisfaction levels among nurses and indicates how the economic recovery may affect future career trajectories.  The data suggest how nurses currently view the quality of nursing care, and whether they believe healthcare reform will help address the predicted nursing shortage.  These results are offered as an information resource for healthcare industry leaders, policymakers, academics and staffing professionals.

AMN Healthcare's "2012 Survey of Registered Nurses" was distributed via Email to registered nurses nationwide.  Email surveys were sent to 88,288 RNs who are registered with the Internet portals NurseZone.com or RN.com.  The survey was distributed to nurses in early April 2012, and responses were accepted through April 27, 2012. Out of 88,288 surveys distributed, 2,931 were completed, which represents a response rate of 3.3 percent. 

The full report can be found on the Industry Research page of the AMN Healthcare website, www.amnhealthcare.com.  Click here to access the survey directly.

About The Healthcare Workforce Summit

Taking place November 8-9 in Southlake, Texas, the two-day Healthcare Workforce Summit brings together leaders from the healthcare workforce industry, including AMN Healthcare, Kaiser Permanente, New York Presbyterian, Scott & White and Stanford Hospitals and Clinics.  The Summit provides a forum for collaboration and discussion, with the goal of creating innovative solutions to challenges that executives and managers face in attracting and managing a quality healthcare workforce that includes nursing, therapy, laboratory, imaging, advanced practice and physicians. 

This year's keynote speaker is Peter Buerhaus, PhD, RN, FAAN, nationally-recognized for his work on projections of future shortages of healthcare professionals as the Director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Health Workforce Studies at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, as well as Chairman of the National Health Care Workforce Commission, created under the PPACA.

While 2012 marks the first year of the Summit, due to the volume of interest and recognized need, it will be an annual event.  To learn more about the Healthcare Workforce Summit or how to join the Healthcare Workforce Advisory Council, contact Melissa Polly, AMN Healthcare Director of Marketing, and Workforce Solutions at [email protected] or 858-509-3560.

About AMN Healthcare

AMN Healthcare Services, Inc. is healthcare's workforce innovator, providing a broad spectrum of workforce solutions and staffing services to the nation's healthcare facilities. AMN's workforce solutions - including managed services programs, recruitment process outsourcing and consulting services - enable providers to successfully reduce complexity, increase efficiency and improve patient outcomes within the rapidly evolving healthcare environment. AMN provides unparalleled access to the largest network of clinicians and physicians through its innovative recruitment strategies and breadth of career opportunities offered. Clients include acute-care hospitals, government facilities, community health centers and clinics, physician practice groups and many other healthcare settings. For more information, visit www.amnhealthcare.com

SOURCE AMN Healthcare Services, Inc.