Nurses are highly satisfied with peer interactions, their professional status, and professional-development opportunities, according to a survey of 76,000 hospital nurses conducted by the American Nurses Association. But they're not satisfied with their decision-making roles, tasks, and pay.
In the RN Satisfaction Report, nurses said they were moderately satisfied with all other aspects of their jobs, including nursing management and administration, interactions with physicians, and their own level of autonomy. However, levels of satisfaction for all factors varied depending on the type of nursing unit. For example, nurses working in maternal/newborn and pediatric units reported the highest levels of overall job satisfaction; those in medical/surgical and step-down units and emergency departments reported the lowest levels of satisfaction.
Eighty-two percent of nurses reported working extra hours, with most saying those hours had gone up in the previous year. The highest reported increases of extra work time were reported by nurses in perioperative services, emergency departments, and maternal/newborn units. Also, 26% of nurses said they'd been floated to another unit within the previous 2 weeks.
Nurses generally rated the quality of care provided by their unit as good to excellent, with those working in critical care, maternal/newborn, and pediatric units and perioperative services giving their units the highest marks. For more information about the survey, visit http://www.nursingquality.org/rnsurveyinfo/.