BOCA RATON, FL--(Marketwired - March 01, 2017) - RNnetwork, one of the largest travel nursing companies in the nation, revealed today the results of a national survey. The survey indicates that nearly half of responding nurses (49.8 percent) are considering leaving the profession. These nurses feel overworked and disrespected by their coworkers. Though they contemplate leaving, some nurses are also taking on additional work through travel nursing opportunities to supplement their income.
RNnetwork created this study to better understand the life of the modern nurse, and asked 600 nurses around the country about their workload, work/life balance, the national nursing shortage and how respected they feel at work.
"Nursing is tough mentally, physically, and emotionally. I can see how the nature of the work would lead some to look elsewhere, you also have a lot of nurses who are ready to retire," says Eric Darienzo, president of RNnetwork. "However, while it's a hard job it's also very rewarding. For many nurses, helping patients is really more of a calling than a job."
A deeper dive into the results shows that the number one reason nurses want to leave the profession is feeling overworked (27 percent), followed by not enjoying their job anymore (16 percent) and spending too much time on paperwork (15 percent).
Other significant findings from the study include:
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Nurses don't feel respected in the workplace. Responding nurses particularly feel disrespected by their peers and hospital administration. Verbal harassment is a prominent way in which nurses feel disrespected: 45 percent of nurses have been verbally harassed or bullied by other nurses and 41 percent have experienced harassment from managers or administrators. Nurses who feel harassed at work are 20 percent more likely to consider leaving their jobs.
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Most nurses aren't working longer hours. Few nurses feel they work more hours today than they did two years ago (27 percent). The survey also found that 63 percent of nurses feel they spend just the right amount of time at work and 61 percent have the same amount or more free time than they did two years ago.
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Nurses are taking on more in the workplace. Though few nurses feel they work more hours, 46 percent reported an increase in their workloads when they are in the hospital or clinic. Additionally, 43 percent of respondents say their workplaces don't support a healthy work/life balance.
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Nurses are taking on additional jobs. Many nurses feel their full-time employment doesn't provide the salary they desire. Though they feel overworked, 45 percent of nurses are taking on additional jobs specifically to supplement their income. Of those, 34 percent have taken on extra medical work and 22 percent have done travel nursing.