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

---

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?

[icuRNmaggie, BSN, RN]

I have been a travel nurse for almost five years and I have been treated very well at all but one assignment. Sometimes there are needs due to maternity leave or illness, sometimes it is just that the hospital is in a small town. All of the community hospitals that I have been to invest in a decent to very good orientation for new grads. I must say that I have never worked in Texas or the South Eastern part of the country; I have heard that working conditions in those areas are very difficult and I'm not fluent in Spanish. Travel nurses are like your housekeepers, we hear everything and never say a word. The opportunities for new grads are out there and they just need to know where to apply. If I was given the opportunity to post this information anonymously, I would have a lot to say.

[tnbutterfly - Mary, BSN]

Great idea, icuRNmaggie. I sent you a pm.

[Lev, MSN, RN, NP]

I value my privacy and anonymity on this site. For that reason, I can not list the hospitals that I know of that have positions for new grads and experienced RNs.

I would like to suggest that a moderator or administrator open a thread called Employment Opportunities from Our Members.

We submit the facility name and location and information about

the position or positions available, new grads or experience preferred, nurse patient ratio, working conditions etc. to the moderator via a private

message and that person posts it for job seekers. Perhaps limit submissions to active memmbers in good standing.

Fellow nurses, what do you think? Could this work?

I think that's an excellent idea.

[PacoUSA, BSN, RN]

For the record, I didn't know about this survey.

Sent from my iPad using allnurses

[PacoUSA, BSN, RN]

I value my privacy and anonymity on this site. For that reason, I can not list the hospitals that I know of that have positions for new grads and experienced RNs.

I would like to suggest that a moderator or administrator open a thread called Employment Opportunities from Our Members.

We submit the facility name and location and information about

the position or positions available, new grads or experience preferred, nurse patient ratio, working conditions etc. to the moderator via a private

message and that person posts it for job seekers. Perhaps limit submissions to active memmbers in good standing.

Fellow nurses, what do you think? Could this work?

Love it! Great idea!

Sent from my iPad using allnurses

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

For the record, I didn't know about this survey.

Sent from my iPad using allnurses

That's a shame.

How about making it an announcement or a thread for the next survey?

Also, how about making an invitation in terms of HOW a question should be formulated in order to get more accurate results, and verify members who have participated in research so that there are targeted results?

[PacoUSA, BSN, RN]

That's a shame.

How about making it an announcement or a thread for the next survey?

Also, how about making an invitation in terms of HOW a question should be formulated in order to get more accurate results, and verify members who have participated in research so that there are targeted results?

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

[SWM2009]

I took the survey. IMO, it was poorly designed and as such the results are suspect.

That said, I answered that I would recommend nursing as a career. Of course the recommendation would come with the caveat that one must research their market and know the realities of finding employment and taking on additional debt. I was stuck in a dead end career and in 18 months, I doubled my non-nursing salary. Nursing has been good for me. However, I did my research before I dove in.

[GM2RN]

For those of you who have given constructive comments, it is noted that although more than 1600 members participated in this survey, perhaps email is not the best way to contact everyone. I am sorry you were unable to participate.

Also....as most people are aware, not only from posts on allnurses, but in life in general.....you can't please everyone....and not everyone is going to agree. And...... those allnurses members who participated in this survey are not dumb.......just because they happen to have a different opinion and outlook. Some folks are more optimistic than others.......who are notedly pessimistic.

Although I may personally be surprised by some of the results, I am thankful that people were willing to develop, administer, and analyze this survey.

I wouldn't say that participants were dumb, but perhaps naïve to the big picture of nursing.

[merrywhiterose]

There isn't a nursing shortage, but a shortage of how many places hire ENOUGH nurses. A new nurse will probably have trouble finding a job now.

[roser13, ASN, RN]

For those of you who have given constructive comments, it is noted that although more than 1600 members participated in this survey, perhaps email is not the best way to contact everyone. I am sorry you were unable to participate.

Also....as most people are aware, not only from posts on allnurses, but in life in general.....you can't please everyone....and not everyone is going to agree. And...... those allnurses members who participated in this survey are not dumb.......just because they happen to have a different opinion and outlook. Some folks are more optimistic than others.......who are notedly pessimistic.

Although I may personally be surprised by some of the results, I am thankful that people were willing to develop, administer, and analyze this survey.

I would suggest a different team to develop, administer and analyze the next survey? It seems that the introduction of television shows to the survey flummoxed quite a few of us. I can't think of any other profession that would ask its members to compare themselves to television shows or fictitious characters in order to seriously attempt to gauge their job satisfaction or outlook on the future.

[PacoUSA, BSN, RN]

It seems that the introduction of television shows to the survey flummoxed quite a few of us.

Please tell me that I'm not the only one that had to Google "flummoxed" ... #theverbalsatsectionwasnotmythang

Sent from my iPad using allnurses