Healthcare Traveler - July 2008 - (Page 6)

By the Numbers A P L ATFOR M FOR I N DU STRY R E S E ARC H Baby Boomer nurses planning career changes Marcia Faller N urses, like America’s population as a whole, are getting older. The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses indicates that the majority of nurses in the U.S. are now at least 45 years of age. In fact, in 2004, over 41% of nurses in the U.S. were 50 years old or older, up significantly from 33% in 2000. How long are these Baby Boomer nurses planning to remain in the clinical workforce? What facets of their jobs do they find the most gratifying and the most frustrating? What is the overall level of job satisfaction among Baby Boomer nurses, and how many plan on working as travelers? AMN Healthcare, parent company of American Mobile Healthcare, recently conducted a survey of 1,830 nurses between 45 and 60 years of age to explore these and other questions. of 45 and 60, according to HRSA. Should even 10% of these nurses choose to retire in the next 1 to 3 years or to find non-nursing jobs, the overall nursing workforce would be reduced by some 112,000 nurses. Traveling provides a means by which nurses pursuing other career options can stay in the profession. One benefit offered by travel nursing is that it provides a means by which Baby Boomer nurses who might otherwise choose to retire or find non-clinical jobs can stay in nursing. Two percent of Baby Boomer nurses surveyed reported that they plan to work as travel nurses in the next 1 to 3 years. Should 2% of all nurses ages 45 to 60 choose to work as travelers during this time period, approximately 22,500 nurses who may have pursued some other option would remain in the profession. the shortage is worse today than when they started in nursing. The staffing shortage also may factor into other sources of job dissatisfaction revealed in the survey, including long hours and the stress of working in a hospital or clinic. Less than half of those surveyed (44%) said they would choose nursing as a career if they were starting out today, and only 48% said they would encourage their children or other young people to choose nursing as a career. Forty-six percent said that working as a nurse has become less satisfying in the last 5 years, about twice the number of those who reported that nursing has become more satisfying. Career reflections On a more positive note, nearly threefifths of Baby Boomer nurses surveyed said that physicians coming out of training today are more respectful of nurses than physicians were 10 to 20 years ago. In addition, 59% reported viewing the nursing profession today as equal to or more dynamic, rewarding, and robust than when they began their careers. And, while 70% of nurses described their careers as “a roller coaster with ups and downs” and 11% said their careers have been “going downhill for a while and they want to stop,” 19% described their careers as “an amazing ride they don’t want to end.” Given this mindset and the ongoing shortage, it is even more important to address those conditions that are causing older nurses to leave the profession—and consider the retention of such experienced nurses a priority for the healthcare industry. HT To review the complete results of the survey, access a downloadable copy at www.amnhealthcare.com. Marcia Faller, MSN, RN, is chief clinical officer and executive vice president, operations, for AMN Healthcare. www.healthcaretraveler.com Future workforce issues AMN’s 2008 Survey of Nurses 45 to 60 Years Old revealed that 35% of Baby Boomer nurses plan to retire, find nonnursing jobs, work part time, or work as travel nurses in the next 1 to 3 years. This finding has significant implications for those concerned about the nursing workforce. More than 1.12 million nurses in the U.S. are between the ages Current satisfaction levels Based on survey results, three-quarters of older nurses cited “providing patient care” as the top source of job satisfaction. “Pay and benefits” and “flexible hours/ schedule” came in a distant second and third with 40% of respondents choosing each of these. The 2008 survey also indicates that many Baby Boomer nurses are experiencing frustrations that may 65% cause them to make changes 13% in their careers. According to 8% 83% of respondents, the 6% nurse staffing shortage is 5% their primary professional 2% frustration, with almost 57% of participants stating that Future career plans In the next 1 to 3 years, Baby Boomer nurses will: Continue as they are Switch to a less demanding role Work part-time Retire Seek a non-nursing job/business Work as travel nurses 6 Healthcare Traveler July 2008 http://www.amnhealthcare.com http://www.healthcaretraveler.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Healthcare Traveler - July 2008

Healthcare Traveler - July 2008 Editor's Desk Contents By the Numbers Paws for Thought In a Flash Field Notes California Love Affair Taking Your Home on the Road Drug Update Clinical Tips Cityscape Advertisers' Index Name It When In... Good for You Big Deals Tax Facts Going the Distance Contest Rules Starter's Kit Allied Corner Classifieds Tales from the Road

Healthcare Traveler - July 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.