January 24, 2023
DOYLESTOWN, PA — HealthCom Media, publisher of American Nurse Journal, the official peer-reviewed journal of the American Nurses Association, recently released the results of its sixth annual Nursing Trends and Salary Survey. This report reflects some positive movement in nursing practice, such as improved response to reports of workplace violence and slightly higher job satisfaction. But challenges, such as ongoing staffing shortages and incidents of violence, continue. Fortunately, nurses seem ready to face those challenges: For the sixth straight year, most respondents (82% of 4,397) would choose nursing as their profession again.
Other key takeaways from the survey include:
- 75% of respondents said their workload had increased in the past year.
- About 63% of nurse manager respondents reported an increase in open positions over the past 12 months, down from 71% in 2021.
- Recruitment for those open positions remains difficult, with 64% of managers reporting that they found it more difficult in the past 12 months, down from 76% in 2021.
- More than half (56%) of survey participants reported that they were emotionally healthy or very emotionally healthy, with 17% reporting they were not emotionally healthy.
- Salary remains an important consideration when choosing an employer—56% (vs. 65% in 2021) of respondents could be persuaded by an offer of more money to leave their current employer.
Respondents’ future career plans indicate that staffing difficulties may continue. Nearly a third (31%) were currently seeking a job with another employer or planned to in the next 3 months, up from 23% in 2021. When asked how long they plan to stay with their current employer, 38% indicated 5 years or more, compared to 40% last year. Nearly 13% plan to stay less than a year, with another 27% planning on 1 to 2 years. The top three reasons why nurses wanted to leave their employers were dissatisfaction with salary (29%), dissatisfaction with work environment (22%), and better schedule (22%).
We asked nurse managers, “What about the future workforce and/or workplace keeps you awake at night?” Here are a few of the many responses we received:
“So many nurses with increased anxiety issues. This has led to loss of staff.”
“Lack of management support and lack of workers taking ownership of the job duties.”
“Cost of care and future reimbursement.”
“I fear there will be many more, much worse, infectious diseases.”
About HealthCom Media
HealthCom Media is a leading information and content development company. Our experience and understanding of the many complex aspects of today’s healthcare system has proven instrumental in securing our leading position as a premier healthcare publisher. We are staffed with experienced professionals who utilize market intelligence to deliver relevant content to our readers, many of whom are healthcare providers and association members. We excel in developing fully integrated marketing solutions for commercial entities that complement traditional advertising programs in our award-winning journals.
For Information about American Nurse Journal and HealthCom Media, please visit https://www.myamericannurse.com/ and http://www.healthcommedia.com
Lillee Gelinas, MSN, RN, CPPS, FAAN, is the Editor-in-Chief of American Nurse Today, the official journal of the American Nurses Association. A nurse leader with more than 30 years of experience, Gelinas also serves as system vice president and chief nursing officer of CHRISTUS Health, a system comprising more than 350 hospitals, services and facilities in the United States, Mexico and Chile. She is a well-respected thought leader and speaker on health care management, clinical issues, and patient safety and quality issues. She has served in various nursing leadership roles, including a member of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Nursing Steering Committee; the board of directors for the National Patient Safety Foundation; the Nursing Advisory Council of The Joint Commission; and many others. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and a member of the Academy’s Nursing Informatics and Technology Expert Panel.