Press Release - allnurses Survey Says Nurses are Bullish on the Industry Outlook

[tnbutterfly - Mary]

New Survey Says Nurses Are Bullish on the Industry Outlook and Encourage People to Enter the Field

EXCELSIOR, Minn., Aug. 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- A survey from allnurses.com, the largest online networking and support site for nurses, reveals that the majority of nurses (74 percent) think the job outlook for the nursing industry is positive. Nearly three quarters of respondents (72 percent) would recommend that a person go into the nursing field, and the overwhelming majority (82 percent) believe that the nursing industry has a positive perception in society today.

"There are many misperceptions about nurses, the role they play, and the industry overall," said Brian Short, Founder of allnurses.com, and a registered nurse himself. "These survey results - which are quite positive - provide a more accurate and up to date look into what nurses think, and indicate areas where patients and nurses can work more closely together."

Of particular importance, said Short, is the critical role that nurses play in serving as the patient's advocate. He encourages patients and their families to talk to their nurses as they are the closest to the patient and work hand in hand with doctors to deliver the best and most appropriate care.

Forty percent of nurses said the single biggest challenge they face today is the nurse-to-patient ratio. Nurses want to spend more time at the bedside, but administrative duties and having too many patients can keep them from doing so. Nurses also believe that patients and their families are confused when it comes to knowing the role nurses play vs. that of physicians, with less than 10 percent of nurses thinking that patients understand the difference.

When asked what makes an ideal nurse, respondents ranked knowledgeable, compassionate and patient advocate as the most important characteristics. Gallup polls show that nurses are consistently ranked the highest among other professions for trustworthiness and credibility.¹ When nurses were asked to weigh in on which hospital TV shows most closely resemble "real life," it was a close race among the long-running ER and Grey's Anatomy hospital dramas and the more recently launched documentary-style program, NY Med.

More than 1,600 nurses and registered members of allnurses.com completed the survey, with the majority of them (47 percent) working in hospital settings. Recent estimates show that between 2008 and 2010 there were approximately 2.8 million registered nurses (RNs) and 690,000 licensed practical nurses (LPNs) in the United States.² Registered nurses are the largest sector of employees in the healthcare industry.³

 

ABOUT ALLNURSES

Founded by Minnesota Registered Nurse, Brian Short, allnurses.com is the leading networking site for nurses and nursing students. For nearly 20 years, allnurses.com has been the collective voice of the nursing community, supporting the profession by providing a place where nurses can network, share, and learn from each other. With an ever-growing community of more than 825,000 registered members, allnurses.com is the go-to place to communicate and discuss nursing, jobs, schools, NCLEX, careers, and so much more. For more information, visit allnurses.com.

¹Honesty/Ethics in Professions. Gallup. Honesty/Ethics in Professions | Gallup Historical Trends. Accessed August 8, 2014.

²The US Nursing Workforce: Trends in Supply and Education. Health Resources and Services Administration. National Center for Health Workforce Analysis, April 2013. Accessed August 8, 2014

³Occupational Employment Statistics. Employment and earnings in selected healthcare practitioner and technical occupations and healthcare support occupations, May 2008. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed August 8, 2014 Health Care: BLS Spotlight on Statistics

Official Press Release: New Survey Says Nurses Are Bullish on the Industry Outlook and Encourage People to Enter the Field

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Many thanks to all of you who participated in the survey!! What do you think about the results? Are you surprised? How did your answers compare with the results?

[tnbutterfly - Mary, BSN]

I know many of you did not receive or open the email containing the survey. While I posted the link to the survey in an earlier post, I failed to include the contents of the email that contained the link to the survey.

We want to hear from you! We love the ongoing comments and great discussions you participate in everyday on allnurses.com. Part of our mission is to broadly promote the nursing profession and the dedicated and talented people who make up that community. Please take a few minutes to complete a 15-question survey on the nursing industry. We understand that your job as a nurse is complicated and challenging. This survey is designed to understand your view of the nursing industry and share it with general consumers without oversimplifying it, but in a way they might better understand. All answers will remain confidential. Your feedback is appreciated!

The intent of the survey was not to insult nursing professionals in any way by making you think what you do has ever been accurately portrayed by any TV show. Your responses here have made it very clear that the media does not do a good job in realistically depicting the vast and complicated roles of the nursing profession.

I will post this in the previous post where I shared the survey link for the benefit of those reading through the thread for the first time in hopes that they read this part.

[ak2190]

This feels like lies. :| Or a conspiiiiracy.

[wooh, BSN, RN]

I know many of you did not receive or open the email containing the survey. While I posted the link to the survey in an earlier post, I failed to include the contents of the email that contained the link to the survey.

The intent of the survey was not to insult nursing professionals in any way by making you think what you do has ever been accurately portrayed by any TV show. Your responses here have made it very clear that the media does not do a good job in realistically depicting the vast and complicated roles of the nursing profession.

I will post this in the previous post where I shared the survey link for the benefit of those reading through the thread for the first time in hopes that they read this part.

Is there anything being said here that is being taken as "Perhaps next time we do a survey, we could do a better job," or is it all being taken as, "People here are too stubborn to realize what a wonderful survey it was!"?

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

All of the contributions, comments, and thoughts were heard, are being discussed and incorporated. That is what I have always liked about AN....they LISTEN.

[roser13, ASN, RN]

All of the contributions, comments, and thoughts were heard, are being discussed and incorporated. That is what I have always liked about AN....they LISTEN.

I'm glad to hear that - for next time. For now, well....... it's out there. Nothing we can do about it now. It just makes me sad (and angry) that the perception is out there that we at AN.com compare ourselves to television shows. As I said in my inital post, that was what made me question the validity of the survey and my willingness to participate in a bunch of silliness linking real nursing to TV nursing. What a demeaning question in what purported to be a serious look at nursing.

Let's just say I will no longer be urging my peers to take a look at AN.com as I have in the past. Maybe we'll gain some new lurkers from fans of Grays Anatomy.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

They SHOULD make an announcement, similar to alerts that we get when there is a new $100 cartoon contest. At least those I always see. I would have definitely participated in the survey if I knew about it.

Sent from my iPad using allnurses

Yeah, why can they make sure we all know about the latest cartoon, yet no kne knows about the surveys?

[nursenurse]

I think they mispelled "bullish"

[assidere]

I am hesitant to recommend anyone going into *any* healthcare field right now, until we figure our how the ACA/ObamaCare is going to pan out after full implementation...