Nurse Job Satisfaction Study

Nursing shortages have always occurred in cycles. Recently, the shortage has become worse due to the implications of managed care as a way of controlling escalating health care costs. While the shortage did ease some during the recession of 2009, there is still a shortage in some areas of the country (Cherry & Jacob, 2014). Increased student enrollments and government policies have helped with the shortage, but the occupational outlook for nursing jobs is expected to grow faster than any other occupation through 2018. So it is essential that the supply of nurses increases to keep up with the demand. The current shortage is due to several factors. First, new nurses are needed to replace “baby boomers” who will be retiring in the near future. Second, as the population ages, there will be a demand for more healthcare, leading to a demand for more nurses. Third, new advances in patient care will lead to more people in the healthcare system needing more specialized care, and lastly, the affordable care act places a large emphasis on preventive care, leading to more people desiring wellness visits (Cherry & Jacob, 2014). Finally, according to Dall’Ora, Chiara, Griffiths, Peter, Ball, Jane, Simon, Michael Aiken, Linda H. (2015), “shifts lasting 12 hours or longer were associated with a 40 percent greater level of job dissatisfaction and a 31 percent higher risk of planning to quit. Job satisfaction and burnout in the nursing workforce are global

Current literature continues to reiterate the indicators of a major shortage of registered nurses (RNs) in the United States. The total RN population has been increasing since 1980, which means that we have more RNs in this country than ever before (Nursing Shortage). Even though the RN population is increasing, it is growing at a much slower rate then when compared to the rate of growth of the U.S. population (Nursing Shortage). We are seeing less skilled nurses “at a time of an increasingly aging population with complex care

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (USBLS) estimates the need for 439,300 registered nurses (RN) from 2014 to 2024, equating to a 16% increase in employment opportunities (USBLS, 2015). Approximately 30% of new RNs leave their first jobs with less than a year of hire and 525,000 nurses are expected to retire from 2012 to 2022- a demand totaled to around 1 million jobs by 2022. This increase is attributed to retiring baby boomers, turnovers, healthcare reform, and the increasing aging population (Kiel, 2012; USBLS, 2013). Control over the retirement of baby boomers is unrealistic, however, nursing turnover can be regulated.

The healthcare industry has long emphasized that staffing issues are a constant concern. It is a worry that influences the safety of both the patient and the nurse. A study reveals that over seventeen percent of new graduate nurses leave their first nursing job within a year, and over thirty-three percent leave within two years (Christine T. Kovner, 2014). Nursing turnover in combination with other important factors will be discussed in greater detail in the following paragraphs.

While the US has more nurses and physicians than ever before, upcoming retirements and a dysfunctional workplace are creating clinical shortages that can become more severe than the industry can bear (Woods, D. 2009). According to research, half of all nurses working today were born during the baby-boomer years. Therefore, the workforce is aging at a rapid rate. As such, in efforts to prevent a mass exodus from the profession, healthcare organizations leaders are exploring innovative ways to keep experienced nurses (Larson, J, 2009). The average age of registered nurses has risen from 41 in 2002 to 48 in 2006(Bolton-Burnes L. 2007). Even more troubling, in 2006, 45% of hospital-employed RNs

The American Nurses Association say the shortage is the product of several trends, including: a diminishing pipeline of new students to nursing, a decline in RN/CNA earnings in comparison to other career option, aging nursing workforce and an aging population that will require health care services (Writer, 2016). With the shortage of staff and the baby boomers turning sixty and many already in retirement, healthcare staff members are going to have to pick up more shifts and a tougher workload. Healthcare industries need to focus on recruiting and retaining staff because hiring more nursing staff is expensive in the short term. But having too few staff leads to being burned out. Having the right amount of CNAs and nurses is essential for manageable workload distribution. Facilities need to prevent and protect current employed nursing staff from being overworked and stressing out because good health care workers only quit when they are overwhelmed. Most are afraid that they are not providing the best care anymore and feel like they can not do what they love the most anymore (Cimiotti, 2017).

The nursing shortage has been influenced by the aging workforce, shortage of nursing faculty, professional alternatives, poor working conditions and poor nursing image. By 2020, there will be an increase in demand for registered nurses (RNs) due to the increase need for healthcare services to meet the needs of the baby boom generation (Keenan & Kennedy, 2003). It is estimated that the nursing shortage will range from 400,000 to 808,000 full-time equivalents (FTE) RNs. The nursing shortage has impacted the intensive care units (ICU), medical surgical units and operating rooms (Keenan & Kennedy).

With over 2 million jobs, registered nurses represent the largest health care occupation (Windle, 2008, p. 209). Although nurses are the biggest health care occupation, there continues to be a shortage in the United States. The shortage has worsened because of rising healthcare costs and a focus on cost containment, which has negatively impacted nurse work environments (Keeler and Cramer, 2007, p. 350). With demand for healthcare expecting to continue to increase and financial pressures becoming more burdensome, these shortages will likely become even more critical in coming years if not adequately addressed (Love et al., 2006, p. 558). The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates 1.2 million nurses will be required to fill new and vacated nursing positions by the end of 2014 (Windle, 2008, p. 209).

Nurses find themselves in the middle of a complex health care system between the financial side and patient safety. A professional nurse’s goal is to provide safe, quality, patient care. However, nurses often fail to meet this goal due to the variability in patient acuity, the unpredictable workload of nurses, and institutional budget constraints (ANA, 2014). According to the American Nurses Association (2014) research shows that lower staffing levels of registered nurses correlate with poor patient outcomes, as well as negative nurse outcomes, such as physical injury and ‘burnout.’

Hospitals nationwide can account for their nurse’s patient care through the survey (). If a nurse is consistently having issues with patient care, it can be shown through this survey and improved on. This leads to better teaching practices in nursing schools and hospitals. When nurses can see what works and does not work, improvements can be made in training new nurses, and this is based on patient needs. Patients are the best source of information on how to improve nursing practices, which is why the HCAHPS has become successfully and widely

In 2002, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projected that the United States would be 800,000 registered nurses short of the national need by the year 2020. Recently, this number has increased to over one million RNs short of the need by 2012. Although there has been some indication that the entry of older nurses into the profession, along with efforts to recruit foreign-born nurses, have helped to ease the shortage, scholars project that the predicted trends are likely to continue (Auerbach, Buerhaus, & Steiger, 2007; Buerhaus, Donelan, Ulrich, Norman and Dittus, 2006; Larkin, 2007). As such, the need for understanding the factors contributing to the nationwide shortage has never been greater.

Through the reviewing of many comments and replies from surveys that were received by Press Ganey, there was an overwhelming deficit in nurse-patient communication. The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) is a public reporting initiative that tracks responses of patient experiences (Press Ganey, 2015). General medicine nurses were not successful at executing the bedside handoff report.

It is likely that most people have heard about the nursing shortage for years now, and perhaps they believe it’s been fixed. However, the nursing profession is experiencing a reoccurring deficiency. According to Brian Hansen, (2002), there was a nation wide shortage in 2001 of 126,000 full-time registered nurses, but the shortage will surge to 808,000 by 2020 if something isn't done. This pattern is a persisting cycle of high vacancies followed by layoffs and a high over supply of registered nurses. Various factors contribute to the lack of nurses within the health care facilities, but today’s shortages are a little different. Many feel that this scarcity is severe and long-drawn-out. The four major issues contributing to

Imagine staying in a hospital- weak, helpless, and in pain, and there isn’t a nurse near to assist. The majority of whom, who have stayed in a hospital have already faced this terrifying issue. Without the help, and care from nurses in the health care system, the health care system would ultimately fail. There are not enough nurses to care for the amount of people that are staying in the hospitals, which directly affects patient care. Here in America today, we are facing the most colossal nursing shortage to have ever existed. There are a variety of solutions that can be done to disperse this soon to be catastrophe. The demand for nurses will forever be in high demand due to the constant advances in

All the options presented in part two, if combined could have a positive impact on the nurse faculty shortage; however one option in particular warrants drilling down even further to fully unearth how improving one factor could help to remedy the shortage of faculty. Research supports satisfaction of nurse educators greatly influences recruitment and retention. Two factors that influence faculty satisfaction is their rate of pay and their workload. Since rate of pay varies greatly from institution to institution and a plan to equalize this factor would be difficult to standardize, the focus of this writing will be on faculty workloads.