Where do the nurses with the highest job satisfaction work?

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Hi everyone,

I'm curios about where the happiest nurses work and what exactly the hospital and/or units are doing to keep these nurses highly satisfied in their positions, considering the highly pressured environment we work in. For example nurse to patient ratios, work-life balance, resources, support, team work, admission/discharge nurses, etc. Looking forward to your feedback.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

I think school nurses are overall the happiest. It can get busy since my patient ratio is 1 to 700 but I get a lot of time to balance it away from work, week off at thanksgiving, two weeks at Christmas, a week for spring break, 2 1/2 months for the summer, no weekends, nights, or other holidays. I get support from the 3 of us here in my clinic; me, myself, and I - just the way I like it!

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Specializes in Med-surg, school nursing..

Agree with OD ;)

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I feel like there is no easy way to answer this. It really depends on the person. My most enjoyable nursing job was working in a juvenile detention center. My least favorite by far has been in an inpatient acute setting. I've also enjoyed outpatient clinics, home care, and teaching.

What makes one happy definitely won't please another.

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Specializes in ER.

Where one has decent managers, agreeable coworkers, and the specialty that interests them. A schedule and shift that works for then is also crucial!

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The happiest nurses are the ones who have found their niche, a reasonable employer and a good work-life balance. It matters not the unit.

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Specializes in Case manager, float pool, and more.
The happiest nurses are the ones who have found their niche, a reasonable employer and a good work-life balance. It matters not the unit.

I would totally agree. The unit, place does not matter as much as whether or not you enjoy what you do and get some degree of personal satisfaction.

No matter where you work, there will be some things you like and some things you don't.

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Specializes in Pedi.
The happiest nurses are the ones who have found their niche, a reasonable employer and a good work-life balance. It matters not the unit.

I think this is true. And I feel like we had a very similar thread on here recently. You can't just say "cardiac surgery nurses are the happiest" across the board. They may be the happiest in my hospital but the most miserable in yours.

As a side note, I'd be very surprised to learn that any kind of acute care position produces the happiest nurses. I think it's more likely that people who have a good work/life balance (which is hard in acute care running a 24/7 operation and constantly being called on their days off) will be the happiest.

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Specializes in School Nursing, Home Health.

I agree with nurses above. School nursing is great. The schedule works, BUT pay isn't the best. So it isn't for everybody.

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I was not "happy" until I was working from home.

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

My department, because the nurses have a super faboo ultra cool boss.

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Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.
The happiest nurses are the ones who have found their niche, a reasonable employer and a good work-life balance. It matters not the unit.

This. I work in a small med surge unit. I am very happy and satisfied and plan

on staying here forever.

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